Since time immemorial, Northamptonshire has suffered from an image problem. Not so much that it has a bad image, more that it doesn't have one at all. Asked to describe what Northamptonshire is famous for, the average Joe would struggle to name anything, unless it was Watford Gap or Silverstone. A motorway service station and a disused airfield.
In the 80's, noticing that other counties were starting to rebrand themselves (Dorset... Thomas Hardy Country, Sussex... 1066 Country) our civic leaders considered "Northants... Prince Charles's In-Laws Country" before opting to trade on the county's royal heritage from further back, and henceforth we were "The Rose of the Shires". A message that arguably lacked immediate visual proof when approaching Rushden on the A6, but the Tudor emblem did serve as a handy guide to South African cricketers en route from Heathrow ("ach, thet's the bunch I'm playing for").
But of course it was only a matter of time before someone decided it was high time another chunk of public money was thrown at freshening things up. And so, motorists approaching the county's borders are now greeted with the message "Northamptonshire - Let Yourself Grow". With the 'grow' artfully highlighted in green to signify - what? green spaces? eco awareness? territorial expansion? (are we planning to annex Rutland?).
Needless to say I hate it. How could any sane individual look at that slogan and think "Brilliant! That makes me proud of my native county!" or "Fantastic! I must move there at once!" There should be a sick bag dispenser 50 yards further on.
Mind you, I hated "The Rose of the Shires" too. I just hate rebranding full stop. I like things just the way they used to be. I hate it when football clubs modernise their badges, or sell the naming rights to their traditional grounds. I hate squad numbers on the back of cricket shirts, or massive sponsors logos on the front. I like things to be simple and honest: "Northamptonshire - Honk If You're Just Passing Through".
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