Climate activist gran walking 100 miles across West Sussex and Surrey
She's taking on the journey in protest at oil drilling
A grandmother and climate activist has reached the halfway point of a 100 mile walk across West Sussex and Surrey to protest oil drilling.
71-year-old Pat Smith, from Dorking, is planning to visit six sites designed for oil and gas production.
She’s raising money for a Judicial Review of Surrey County Council’s decision in September 2019 to allow four new oil wells and 20 years of commercial oil production at Horse Hill, near Gatwick Airport.
Pat set off on her journey from the Brockham oil site on Monday and is looking to complete it at Horse Hill on Friday.
Among the sites Pat is visiting through the journey is Broadford Bridge near Billingshurst, where the site was drilled in 2018 and West Sussex County Council recently extended its planning permission for a third time.
She is also visiting Balcombe, the home of the famous protests in 2013 where Green Party MP Caroline Lucas was arrested.
Pat says, “This week-long walk is quite challenging as I’ve never done this before but this is one way I can help in a case that is so important. I have been lost on a number of occasions and some of the stiles are quite difficult to climb but it's worth it. The support I have been getting has been incredible, I’m so grateful.
“This Judicial Review is not only significant to the area of Horse Hill but has national consequences. If this succeeds, not only will the Horse Hill oil site lose its planning permission, but it could mean that planning authorities have to assess all carbon emissions arising from planning applications for fossil fuel exploration. This could have an enormous impact because despite being in a climate emergency, they’re not doing that.”
Pat has so far raised more than £3,600 through an online crowdfunding page, which will go towards the Surrey Oil Legal Challenge Fund.
A spokesperson for Surrey County Council said:
“We are aware that permission has been granted for a judicial review of the Horse Hill planning application. As those proceedings have now commenced, we are unable to comment further.”