Weetabixshire petition gains support from MP and farmers

Jim Beaty, farmer, in front of a ‘Welcome to Weetabixshire’ sign which has been erected in the Northamptonshire town of Burton Latimer to mark the new proposed county lines of Weetabixshire. Picture date: Tuesday November 14, 2023. Photo credit: Michael Leckie/PA Wire

Makers of the nation’s favourite breakfast cereal* are petitioning to create a brand-new UK county encircling a 50-mile radius** from the Weetabix mills in Burton Latimer, wherein the wheat for all Weetabix, original and flavoured, is sourced.

And although it may go against the grain, they believe it’s a fitting tribute to their 1,100-strong workforce, who use wheat from Weetabixshire to make 11 million Weetabix biscuits every day, equating to almost 8,000 every minute – highlighting the passion, craftmanship and care that goes into every grain of their beloved wheat.

Three 7ft tall ‘Welcome to Weetabixshire’ signs have been erected in the Northamptonshire town of Burton Latimer, to mark the centre of Weetabixshire, and on the edges of St Neots and Rutland to pointedly mark the new proposed county lines.

And Weetabix are up to their typical cheeky antics, as they have also rebranded the local Burton Latimer Town Cricket Club to Weetabixshire Cricket Club and Meadowside Primary School in Burton Latimer to Weetabixshire Primary School, bringing the brands affection for its hometown to life and bringing the community together.

Meadowside Primary school pupils (left to right) Junior, Theo, Esha, Lily, and Isabelle in front of a ‘Welcome to Weetabixshire’ sign which has been erected in the Northamptonshire town of Burton Latimer to mark the new proposed county lines of Weetabixshire. Photo credit: Michael Leckie/PA Wire

Ian Watson, aged 70, who has been working at Burton Latimer Cricket Club for 30 years, shared he has “tremendous pride” after witnessing the installation of the county signs for his newly renamed Weetabixshire Cricket Club, and fully backs the lobby.

Local resident, Victoria Grundy, similarly said: “I live in the local area, and I’d be really proud to be associated with Weetabixshire – l think my friends and family would be too!”. Another local, Tanis Hignall-Bowman, who spotted the signs said she thought they were “fabulous”.

Not everyone is convinced though. One passer-by branded the campaign “wrong”, exclaiming that “you wouldn’t rebrand Milton Keynes, would you?” Burton Latimer resident, Steve Battison, also rejected the notion, and said: “it’s a cereal box, not a county!”

But that’s not stopping Weetabix, who are campaigning to keep the county and hope to gather more signatures in the coming days to support making Weetabixshire a reality.

To reward the residents of Weetabixshire, the brand is going a step further and inviting members of the public to get behind the creation of the new county. As an incentive, a 100 people randomly selected to declare their allegiance via the website will receive a FREE breakfast delivered to their door (T&Cs apply).

Weetabix farmer, Jim Beaty, said: “My farm is less than a mile from the Weetabix mills and I can smell the Bix being made every morning, so seeing all these people come down to the local area in support of Weetabixshire, fills me with such pride. It shows how much the community values us for the jobs we do on a daily basis, and I can’t express my gratitude enough towards them.”

Philip Hollobone, Burton Latimer MP said: “As a town, we are so proud to be the birthplace of the nation’s favourite cereal*, and we are fully behind Weetabix in their campaign to create Weetabixshire – as long as we can be the capital of course!”

Lorraine Rothwell, Head of Brand at Weetabix, said: “We’re proud to say our sourcing is local and facilitated by our network of incredible farmers, who are the backbone of Weetabix, so we wanted to show it off!”

“Keeping our sourcing local means we can support the farming community right here in Northamptonshire,working directly with growers who share our passion for delivering the very best wheat in the most sustainable way. Not to mention, sourcing our hero ingredient so close to home cuts down on our own food miles.”

Sign Weetabix’s petition today to make Weetabixshire a real county here. Head to www.weetabix.co.uk/weetabixshire to pledge your allegiance – 100 people who sign up will WIN a free breakfast.

The petition campaign was created with Weetabix by Frank PR.

*The number one cereal brand in the UK and ROI based on the last 52 weeks.

** The 50-mile radius is as the crow flies in all directions from the Weetabix Burton Latimer mills