Do they really care?
Teenager Christiana Tugwell and a small band of fellow school-age environmentalists have spent the past five months fighting proposals being put forward by the property developer, Countryside Residentials, to build 66 luxury detached houses in an area of woodland. They have received support at their protest camp from other residents who want to save the wood and the wildlife it contains. They have built a network of underground tunnels, which they will occupy to prevent the developers from starting work. Countryside Residential said it had been careful to preserve wildlife on the site, employing ecologists to do surveys and spending tens of thousands of pounds protecting animal and plant life.
‘I began organizing the local campaign when I realized just how many local residents were against the developments. They were writing letters of protest to the council but this was simply not enough. So in order to put more pressure on the council and to raise national awareness, I started camping on the proposed development site. I was the ring-leader and had to bully some friends to join me. They weren’t keen on sleeping rough and neither was I, but something had to be done.
My mum’s initial reaction was “are you sure you want to do this?” After the first week she sent some friends to try to make me come home. They said I’d get into trouble, but I was determined to stay.
‘Mum and I don’t always see eye to eye on everything. But we agree that as long as what I want to do is not completely stupid, she lets me do it. I’m very stubborn and if I think I can do it, normally I can.
‘She worries about possible violence from the people trying to evict us and so do I, but there won’t be any violence on our part. I don’t want to worry her, but stopping the development is more important.’
Choose the most appropriate option:
with her friends from a small music band
fighting against a group of local residents
camping in the countryside
protesting
2. Countryside Residentials
has built some houses in an area of woodland
has started building luxury houses in Christiana’s neighbourhood
wants to occupy a piece of land for business purposes
is fighting for environmental development
3. Local residents
support the teenagers
support Countryside Residentials
are trying to protect the wood and wildlife from campers
have built a network of underground tunnels
4. Countryside Residential
assure the others they will do no harm to the environment
is a company which mainly employs ecologists
bases its work on scientific surveys
spends most of its money protecting animals and plants
5. Christiana started her campaign because
she didn’t share the local residents’ opinion
the local residents had sent some letters of protest to the council
she felt the need to draw other people’s attention
she was determined to go camping on the desired camp site
6. Her mum was worried because
Christiana had started bullying some of her friends
Christiana was not setting a good example
Christiana had got into trouble
she felt that Christiana might have problems
7. Christiana
always quarrels with her mum
appreciates that her mum always lets her do silly things
could count on her mum’s help in spite of everything
doesn’t care what her mum thinks
8. Christiana is determined to have things her way
as she knows there will be no violence
although she might be in danger
