Published at 07:41, Wednesday, 30 January 2013

I WANTED to speak at the Hoodsclose opencast public meeting, but I didn’t get a chance.

I am 12 years old and have lived in Whittonstall since I was born.

When my relatives visit, we always take them on walks through the woods; they always say how lovely the countryside is. However that will all change if UK Coal is allowed to dig up coal.

The community is close; the kids go round the village to play but our parents might decide it isn’t safe for us to play out, because of all the extra traffic on our roads.

UK Coal has changed when it would blast and build baffle banks to suit the first school; however, it has not thought about the other children waiting for their buses for high school and middle school.

They will be blasting when we turn up to catch the bus and when we arrive home from school.

UK coal has changed its operations to suit the first school; yet again it will be blasting at the time the middle and high school buses return.

It is so quiet here that and my mum and I go on walks through the fields surrounding our village.

We can hear the skylarks that many communities will never get the pleasure of hearing.

There may not be many of us in our village … but we still count!

ELEANOR HOLMES,

Whittonstall

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk