Ayrton’s plea for the rainforests

Summit conference … Ayrton Taylor with Minister of the Environment Phil Woolas

A 10-year-old Saddleworth schooboy’s plea to save the planet has been backed by a top Government minister.

Ayrton Taylor had a 30-minute talk with Phil Woolas, Minister of the Environment, when he was attending meetings in Uppermill.

The youngster, a pupil at St Chad’s C of E school, showed the MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth a document he had written on green issues.

In it he said: “The destruction of the rain forest is having a catastrophic effect on all the species that live in the rain forest. One species is disappearing every half hour.

“We are forever losing cures for illnesses, people are destroying the rain forest only to provide timber to grow crops and develop the land.

“It’s incredible that 200 million people could lose their homes and lands. We are losing their knowledge about edible plants, and plants that can be used as medicines to cure illnesses could be lost and people will die.

“The rain forest people have the knowledge to harvest the rain forest. If the forests are destroyed these people will die and their knowledge be lost.”

Ayrton, the eldest of four children, lives with his parents, Julian and Christine Taylor, at The Church Inn, Uppermill.

In the essay to teachers and fellow pupils he highlighted the plight of curing children’s illnesses.

“The rain forest is like a chemist’s counter, but with the effect of deforestation, cures for leukaemia and other crippling diseases will be lost,” he wrote.

“Thousands of plants that grow there contain things that could used for curing disease.

“Some animals and birds are unique to the rain forest but their habitats are being destroyed. Are we expected to watch them die out to extinction?”

And he added: “The destruction of the rain forests has proven to be the worst mistake ever. Stop the destruction!”

Mr Woolas said: “For a boy of Ayrton’s age to assimilate these problems is remarkable. His analysing of the deforestation is uncannily accurate.”

Ayrton’s proud mum, Christine, said: “Ayrton has always been keen on conservation. He loves the environment — particularly around Saddleworth.”

Said Ayrton: “I liked talking to Mr Woolas. He was very interested in what I had written and listened to my points of view.”