Welsh pylon rally's land protest
Four pieces of Mid Wales land were handed to Welsh Assembly members as a "living reminder" of what will be destroyed if a substation and hundreds of pylons across the countryside are built. Four pieces of Mid Wales land were handed to Welsh Assembly members as a "living reminder" of what will be destroyed if a substation and hundreds of pylons across the countryside are built. More than 1,500 protesters travelled from Montgomeryshire to the Welsh Assembly's Senedd building in Cardiff Bay yesterday to campaign against the plans. National Grid wants to build a line of pylons carrying 400,000 volt electricity cables from Montgomeryshire to near Shrewsbury. Children from Ysgol Meifod handed the large pieces of turf to four assembly members - one from each party - on the steps to the Senedd, while a petition signed by more than 13,000 people was also handed in. [24link]
Four pieces of Mid Wales land were handed to Welsh Assembly members as a "living reminder" of what will be destroyed if a substation and hundreds of pylons across the countryside are built.
More than 1,500 protesters travelled from Montgomeryshire to the Welsh Assembly's Senedd building in Cardiff Bay yesterday to campaign against the plans.
National Grid wants to build a line of pylons carrying 400,000 volt electricity cables from Montgomeryshire to near Shrewsbury.
Children from Ysgol Meifod handed the large pieces of turf to four assembly members - one from each party - on the steps to the Senedd, while a petition signed by more than 13,000 people was also handed in.
The cheering crowds then welcomed four campaigners - Richard Jones, Nick Larder, Ifan Davies and Oili Hedman - who had walked from Welshpool to the capital to raise awareness.
Mr Jones said: "It was hard work and on Monday night I started to hit a wall, but it is so worth it to make sure everyone knows how Mid Wales feels against these plans."
Mr Larder, 54, said: "There are lots of green solutions out there, but wind power is nothing to do with a green solution."
Mr Davies, 29, said: "Wind power only works on a local scale. It doesn't work on a national scale."
In 2005 the Welsh Government unveiled seven areas across mid and south Wales, known as Tan 8, which had been chosen for wind farm development.
Tan 8 was part of the UK Government's energy policy to increase the amount of electricity from renewable sources to 10 per cent by 2010, but Wales has exceeded this and produces about 13 per cent."
Councillor Viola Evans, county member for Llanfair Caereinion, said: "It was a wonderful trip and I really think the community came together in wonderful fashion to show them exactly how we feel."
Russell George, Montgomeryshire AM, said nobody would stand back and let the National Grid move forward.
He said: "Would people stand back if they wanted pylons to go down Downing Street or outside Buckingham Palace? Of course not.
"So why do they think we are going to stand back and allow them to build them all over the Mid Wales and Shropshire countryside."
