A RECENTLY engaged Horrabridge woman has returned from a gruelling trip with her fiancé to a gold mine in Honduras, where the couple saw the real story behind where the gold in their wedding rings may come from. Zoe Gahan, a picture editor from Jordan Lane in Horrabridge, and her fiancé Mat Laroche, a documentary film maker from London, both aged 30, have been campaigning for 'ethical gold' with the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD). Zoe said: 'I wanted to look further into the issues of gold mining before Mat and I go off and buy our wedding rings. 'I only became aware recently of the problems with gold mining through CAFOD's Unearth Justice campaign. 'Now I've seen the devastating effects first hand that gold mining can have on the communities near a mine and the environment. It's really shaken me.' Zoe said after seeing the 'scar on the landscape' made by the gold mine she was very concerned to know where high street jewellery stores sourced their gold. 'There are dangerous levels of cyanide in the water around the mine and I heard from local people that the mine causes them to fear for their health. 'I was shocked at the sheer size of the mine, it can use up to 220 gallons of water per minute, when the people nearby struggle to find enough water for themselves and their cattle to drink.' Mat said: 'I was appalled to speak to farmers who had originally lived on the site of the mine but had been forced to move. 'They lost their fruit orchards, a forest and some are very concerned about the validity of the title deeds to their new homes. The mine has left them poorer and extremely worried about their future. I'd urge everyone out there who buys gold jewellery to ask about where it comes from.' CAFOD's Unearth Justice campaign is raising awareness and calling for an end to the harm caused by gold mining. It is pressing governments and business to give poor communities a greater say in whether and how gold is mined and who benefits. They are not calling for a boycott of jewellery retailers but asking them to put pressure on the rest of the gold industry to change the way it operates. Head of CAFOD's campaign team, Helen Wolfson, said: 'Over £2 billion items of gold jewellery are bought in the UK each year. We are asking people to think about where this gold comes from and help us to ensure the gold industry behaves responsibly. 'People can sign our petition which calls on high street jewellers to ensure gold is not produced at the expense of local communities or the environment.'
