The makers of Weetabix are campaigning to create the UK's newest county - Weetabixshire - in honour of its 150 farmer suppliers.
The proposed county would encircle a 50-mile radius from the Weetabix mills in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, wherein the wheat is sourced.
And although it may go against the grain, the firm believes it’s a 'fitting tribute' to their 1,100-strong workforce, who use wheat from the area to make 11 million Weetabix biscuits every day.
More than 150 farms produce 75,000 metric tonnes of wheat every year across over 162,000 hectares, according to Weetabix.
As part of the stunt, 7ft tall ‘Welcome to Weetabixshire’ signs have been erected in Burton Latimer to mark the centre of the proposed county, as well as on the edges of St Neots and Rutland.
Jim Beaty, a farmer who supplies the company, said his farm was less than a mile from the Burton Latimer plant.
"Seeing all these people come down to the local area in support of Weetabixshire, fills me with such pride," he said.
"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.”
Not everyone is convinced though. One local resident 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 local Conservative MP Philip Hollobone backs the move: "We are fully behind Weetabix in its campaign to create Weetabixshire - as long as we can be the capital of course."
