NEW parents have made North Yorkshire the most popular place in the country for baby naming ceremonies.

The county was one of the first to offer celebrations of births without the religious overtones of christenings.

And figures released recently show more ceremonies have been carried out here than anywhere else in the country.

During the first six months, 25 per cent of the 110 namings carried out in Britain have been in North Yorkshire.

"These results show that, once again, North Yorkshire really is the place to mark occasions like this, " said Stuart Pudney, head of North Yorkshire County Council's trading standards.

"For the past two years, official figures have shown that North Yorkshire is the most popular county for civil weddings and to be top for civil baby naming is very good news.

"All credit is due to the excellent range of venues and staff, which are second to none."

Parents are offered a choice of ceremonies, which can include readings and music.

It can be carried out in register offices or any of the 75 venues approved for wedding ceremonies.

The ceremonies were introduced by the Government as a possible method of reinforcing family commitment.

North Yorkshire County Council is one of only 11 authorities taking part in a national pilot scheme to discover the demand for them.

Updated: 11:45 Thursday, July 05, 2001