Keeping the tradition alive
Two thirds of the Gypsy community are settled; most in permanent homes or what they call “bricks and mortar”. Some of them have been settled for generations and have easily merged in with society but for many the process has been difficult. One of the support services the London Gypsy and Traveller Unit (LGTU) provides is to help travellers who have just moved into permanent houses settle in. Geraldine Lindsay, accommodation representative for the LGTU says, “It’s something we take for granted but travellers find it extremely difficult to cope with living in a house. They feel claustrophobic and depressed and are very confused about simple things like paying bills and rent.”
Much against common belief, travellers prefer living in one place and keeping their tradition alive by travelling in the summer or attending traditional fairs through the year. They dislike having to move or be removed from places as it disrupts their children’s education and chances of employment.
Anne Burton, a traveller from Yorkshire who was summering in Dorset said, “I live in a house the whole year and travel in the summer. My kids go to school and we have our family business. That’s the way most travellers like it. They aren’t looking for various fields to just get on to.”
The literacy level in the community has been low over the years but that is changing with the new generation. Parents are more aware of the need for education and send their children to school. However bullying is still a major issue and most of them are home tutored. New Forest resident Rosina Smith has lived in a house all her life and is bringing up her kids in the same way. The mother of five is clear they need to be educated but says, “I put my girls in school but had to pull them out due to bullying and now they are home tutored. People think our girls marry young but that isn’t true, they get married at 19 or 20 which is the same for any other community. ” Rosina talks about how she came to settle permanently and what they do to keep tradition alive