WHILE younger folk were setting off on the Ten Tors Challenge last Saturday, an artist from North Devon was setting off from Brent Tor on a protest marathon walk of her own. Christine Lovelock, from Bradiford, Barnstaple, left Brentor Church on the start of a walk across Devon to visit sites proposed for the erection of wind turbines as part of her stand against that form of energy. Ms Lovelock, daughter of leading environmentalist James Lovelock, last year set up Artists against Windfarms, and she was seen off on her walk by 20 placard-carrying fellow campaigners from organisations including the Dartmoor Preservation Association, Campaign to Protect Rural England and Dartmoor Against Wind Turbines. Ashley Gray, chairman of the Two Moors Campaign, made a speech in support of Ms Lovelock?s campaign and read a short speech on behalf of Geoffrey Cox, MP for West Devon and Torridge, also in support of the demonstration. The MP said Ms Lovelock was helping to protect something those who lived in the area should regard as precious and irreplaceable ? the landscape and heritage. Almost 100 350ft turbines at approaching 20 sites are in the pipeline across Devon. Ms Lovelock said: ?You can be Green and against industrial-sized wind turbines. I am determined to give support to the various groups who are fighting to keep Devon free from giant turbines.? She said she was against industrial-sized wind turbines, saying they did little to save carbon emissions, due to the intermittent nature of the wind. Ms Lovelock ? who in 1970 led the first ever ?Save the whales? protest, outside the Japanese Embassy in London ? plans to finish her walk on June 6 at the Plough Arts Centre in Great Torrington. As an international athlete and 1985 winner of the World Veterans? 10k Road Championship, she is not put off by the task ahead.
