National Treasure

---

By Sue CharlesBBC Wales weather presenter

It is the Mid Wales landmark that started out as a joke and lasted for 20 years.

Now, it is making a comeback.

Up until last November, on the A44 in Powys between Rhayader and Kington.

But drivers who followed the directions to Terminal 1 or 3 ended up not at an airport, not even an airfield, But just a field on The Outskirts of The Village .

The Sign was Taken Down Last Year when The Man who spent £25,000 keeping it in place decided he would try to make it an official landmark.

Nicholas Whitehead launched a crowdfunding campaign with the slogan " give us A Sign ".

Six months later, a brand-new one has appeared.

The Airport 's " founder" said he was delighted.

" When The Sign came down we gained thousands of followers on Facebook. There was so much support for getting another, I felt sure the crowd-funder would work, " He Said .

" In a time of austerity, no local authority would want to pay for this, so we tried to raise all The Money ourselves. We only needed £1,300 and we raised £2,000. "

The Extra money will be donated to the Wales Air Ambulance, which Mr Whitehead said he was happy to support given the aviation connection.

Mr Whitehead was A Journalist and editor for the Brecon and Radnor express, a writer on Radio 4 's comedy Sketch Show Week Ending and once worked with Monty Python 's Terry Jones .

With a strong sense of the absurd, he created the fictional airport in 2002: " It started off as a wild conversation With Friends one evening. We thought of renting A Sign for something that wasn't really there, possibly a project that didn't exist, and we settled on The Airport . "

He soon realised The Plan was possible.

" I approached Wrexham Signs, who own the billboard, and expected them to say, 'you can't do that'. But apparently, you can, " He Said .

" As A Journalist , you find that whatever you do, someone, somewhere, is going to get upset about it. But Llandegley International is The Exception . People love it. "

In The Sign 's original location near Crossgates, it cost about £1,500 per year to maintain. But thanks to the crowd-funding, a new one has been installed to The East of The Village .

The Richards family offered to put The Sign outside their farm near Llandegley, where it can stay permanently.

Holly Richards jumped at the chance to help out: " We were sad to see it go, so at The First chance of having it back we were happy to put it on Our Land .

" Since The Sign has come back the Social Media response has been great. It's become a real Talking Point Once More . "

Fencing contractor Fred Morris put up the new sign and described it as a bit of a folly: " When you tell people where you come from, they ask 'have you seen The Sign for The Airport ?' People Play Along with The Joke . "

Mark Lythgoe co-owns a nearby roadside snack van and said it had been great for business.

" We've had a lot of people asking where The Airport is, " Mr Lythgoe said. " We're thinking of renaming The Van The International Departure Lounge . It's all a bit of fun. "

The Airport has taken off on Facebook. Thousands of followers enjoy updates about Llandegley's impressive environmental credentials, and engage in flights of fancy about the " top secret" Terminal 2.

Mr Whitehead now keeps the old sign in his garden in Wembury, Devon.

He Said The Airport has helped him see a more positive side to Social Media .

" There's been an outpouring of love. People have said the Llandegley International Facebook page is one of The Best things on The Internet , because there's no unpleasantness, " He Said .

When asked if he thought The Airport was real, He Said : " It exists in the same way songs exist. If you set fire to the scrap of paper on which Paul Mccartney wrote Yesterday, that wouldn't destroy The Song .

" The Song exists as a Shared Experience ; it's indestructible. It's the same with The Airport . "

With a permanent sign in place and a big online fanbase, Mr Whitehead said he hoped to gain official recognition for the quirky institution he founded.

" It's not exactly a National Monument - But it is a National Treasure . It has become an item of Welsh heritage. "

For now, he is happy Llandegley International is on The Road again.

Related Topics

Source of news: bbc.com