Does Welshpool have an identity crisis?

With next year’s Tour de France placing Welshpool in the global spotlight, the Town Council is keen to establish itself as a serious destination for leisure, business and sport.

But the Town Mayor is concerned that Welshpool has an identity problem, after saying that current tag lines associated with the town only encourage people to keep going and not stop, and another councillor described the current ‘Welcome to Welshpool’ signage as “dismal”.

Opinions were shared at this week's Events and Planning Committee meeting when a previous suggestion for better signage that was tabled by Cllr Phil Pritchard was discussed.

Cllr Bill Rowell said: “Particularly around Christmas time, other towns have big signs up with lights that are more welcoming.

“Yes, we do have existing signs, but they are a little bit dismal. But they do talk about Welshpool being a ‘Gateway to Mid Wales’ and I recall someone telling me that any town that considers themselves as a gateway has obviously got nothing to offer themselves, which is not what we want at all.”

Cllr Phil Owen, The Town Mayor, said: “I quite like the Gateway to Wales thing but I think we have to move away from just being a gateway.

“Also, if you look up Welshpool in the Rough Guide to Wales, it says: “Welshpool lies on the corridor on the way to the coast and Snowdonia. In other words, it’s somewhere where people go through.

“So, we need to find something that is a little bit more encouraging for people to stay, rather than the Gateway to Wales and go somewhere else.”

Councillors agreed to keep the issue as an agenda item, and also for the Mayor to mention it during discussions with Powys County Council in preparation for the Tour de France in 2027.

“With the cycle race coming next year I am just wondering if we could include that as part of what we will be doing to make Welshpool look better,” Cllr Morag Bailey said. “We might be able to get funding because technically it is Powys County Council’s job and they may be more willing to participate through that mechanism, than if we did it completely separately.”

Cllr Jackson Quarrell lived in Shrewsbury as a teenager and said he was always impressed by how the town associated itself with flowers year-round through the annual flower show, calling for Welshpool to maximise its Tour de France host status.

Cllr Pritchard also said the roundabout should be utilised for signage, as opposed to expensive overhead signage.

Not everyone was eager though, with Cllr Nick Howells calling the debate “nonsense”.

He said: “I quite like the blue signs if they were cleaned. We already have quite attractive signs and, I am sorry, but is this the most important thing we have got to talk about? I think it is nonsense.”

An update will be provided at the next Events and Planning meeting in March.