| Can you imagine how [id:20398] it would be if you were brought up in a village surrounded by beautiful countryside, then one day you saw that countryside being destroyed in order to make way for a road bypass? This is what happened to Kitty Dimbledy (14) from Little Solsbury near Bath. She couldn’t bear to just stand and watch it happen, she had to do something about it.This is her story... Kitty’s storyI first got involved last March, when my mumtook me to a protest meeting in Bath to try and [id:20399] a four-lane road being built across Solsbury Hill. The next day I went up to the Hill, which is a short walk from our house.We’d been away and I hadn’t been there for a few weeks. When I got there shivers ran down my spine. I’d played there since I was little and remem- bered it as a lovely, peaceful spot, with beautiful old trees and various species of plants and animals. Now there were huge yellow diggers slicing through the earth. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was horrible. Standing up, being countedThe scene there was chaotic. Protesters weretrying to stop the diggers - which were ploughing up shrubs and scrubland - by jumping on them, and I joined in. You could tell that some of the [id:20400] didn’t like what they were doing. One stopped ploughing so that I could save a little bush he’d knocked over. I took it home and planted it in my garden. |
Taking actionAfter that, I went to Solsbury Hill most daysafter school. The main demonstration days were Saturdays, when students and local people showed up. Some people at school don’t see why I feel so strongly about this issue. I don’t really blame them: [id:20401] you’ve actually seen the destruction for yourself it’s hard to understand. Loads of people have said to me: “Don’t waste your time.You can’t stop it.” But someone has to try. If you’re not [id:20402] at 14, when will you be? The final countdownTwo months later the situation at Solsbury Hill[id:20403] when the demonstrators took their protest a step further.They put hammocks and cargo nets in the trees so that they could live in them and prevent the trees from being chopped down for as long as possible. The security guards didn’t [id:20404] it and tried to get the people to come down, but of course they wouldn’t. I joined them for a few hours to show my support. [id:20405], two weeks later all the trees were cut down. I can’t describe how empty and horrible I felt inside. It was as if a part of me had died. But we had put up a good fight - it took two days to get the protesters out of the trees. I know we can’t stop this road now but I believe our protest made people aware of what’s going on and realise that we need better [id:20406], not more cars and roads which carve up the countryside and pollute the air. They’re planning to build two more roads in the area, and I’m writing letters to campaign against them. I will not give up. You can’t rely on other people to fight your battles for you. ‘Just Seventeen’, October 19, 1994 |