Brechin Retailers’ Group have hit back following a Lion King internet prank which targeted the town.
A mocked-up picture from the film Lion King has popped up on Twitter and Facebook recently and left community figures less than impressed.
The picture shows a young Simba with his father Mufasa, looking into the distance from a cliff as he asks: “What’s the dark, shadowy place in the distance?”
Mufasa replies: “That’s Brechin, Simba, you must never go there.”
Graeme Gove of Brechin Retailers’ Group said they have now taken steps to balance the negative publicity.
He told The Courier: “We were aware of the Lion King picture that had popped up on Twitter and Facebook. These types of images are common online and have been altered to mention many towns and cities long before Brechin became the target.
“The Simba image that had been altered to feature Brechin was meant to be satirical and really should not have been taken so seriously.
“It was agreed that something should be done to balance the negative publicity that had been circulating online and in the press.
“While planning a response, it was actually found that Brechin has more large annual events than any other town in Angus.
“The list includes Harley Davidson in the City, Easter in the City, Halloween Cartie Race in the City and Christmas in the City, all of which are organised by the retailers’ group.
“These are joined by other events such as the Angus Show, Thomas Weekend at the Caledonian Railway and the newest addition, the Brechin Music Fest that will take place during the summer.”
The retailers quickly released a parody of the original message highlighting many of the events that are now fixtures on the calendar of the City.
To date, more than 6,000 Facebook users have now seen one or more of these new positive images that features Simba discovering the delights of Brechin.
Mr Gove added: “Far from being a dark place, the events are bringing the place back to life and attracting many visitors from near and far.
“The organisers of these events really are determined to put the heart back in the city of Brechin.”