St Day Gypsy and Traveller Women's Group Open Day 2017

Hard to believe another year has gone by. Join us at Teyluva Children's Centre in St Day to celebrate all that we've achieved over the past twelve months - there'll be art and craft to look at at, displays to read, dancing and food to eat.

Gypsy and Traveller History finds a home at the Cornwall County Records Office

TravellerSpace were delighted to be able to hand over our first batch of Gypsy and Traveller oral history recordings to the Cornwall County Records Office this February. 

Officially handing over our Gypsy and Traveller Heritage recordings on Friday 24th February 2017.
  Mark Curnow, Callum Richards, Vanessa Boase (TravellerSpace), Charley Richards, Shania Davis, Chloe Phillips (CRO)

Thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a group of young Gypsies and Travellers in Cornwall have had the opportunity to find out more about their family history and the wider history of their communities. The young people have interviewed older generations to find out how they lived and how their lives have changed. 

The recordings cover a wide range of topics, including trotting races, cooking on the open fire, the importance of religion, and the challenges of facing prejudice.  

A group of pupils from Pool School accompanied TravellerSpace to the Cornwall County Records Office to pass on the first ten recordings, so that the recollections can be accessed by all for generations to come.  

We were made very welcome by Chloe Phillips who showed us around, before we deposited the recordings.  Chloe also showed us how to do quill writing and seal making.  We took with us photographs representing topics covered in the interviews.

 We are very proud of how well the young people have engaged with this project. The students asked great questions, and we have been able to record some absolute fantastic stories.

"It will help other people understand better about Gypsies and Travellers.  People are kinder when they know a little about us" - Project participant Kelly Price

If you would like to be involved in this project - as a participant or volunteer - please get in touch.  

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Job Opportunity with TravellerSpace

TravellerSpace is looking for an Early Years Worker - 15 hours a week £20,972 pro rata (to cover maternity leave).

This post is for an experienced, dedicated worker to co-ordinate our Early Years work with Gypsy & Traveller children. Experience of working with children with challenging behaviour is essential.

The post involves planning appropriate activities for young children, which take place during our weekly Gypsy & Traveller Women’s Group, literacy group and other activities. There are also occasional visits to roadside families in our playbus.

Each pre-school child has their own Learning Journal which needs to be regularly updated; detailed session plans which include learning goals for each activity must be submitted to the Project Manager.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to provide examples of session planning.

For more details email tspace@travellerspace-cornwall.org

Closing date for applications is 10th November.

St Day Gypsy and Traveller Women's Group 15th June, 2016

A Thank You To All Our Funders

Five years' ago we were awarded core funding from the Big Lottery Fund . This allowed TravellerSpace to grow and develop, enabling us to support more Gypsies and Travellers to access services and opportunities and to be heard in decision and policy making processes. That funding came to an end in April of this year, leaving our future looking uncertain.

TravellerSpace worked with a number of different funding bodies looking at ways in which we could strengthen our organisation, continue our current projects and develop new ones.

We are delighted to report that we are now on more stable ground, thanks to the generous support of the following organisations. We owe them a massive debt of thanks for showing faith in TravellerSpace and for recognising the needs of Cornwall's Gypsy and Traveller communities.

Over the next few months we will be developing our new website and exploring ways our friends and supporters can help. In the meantime if you'd like to know more or would consider a donation, please contact us at tspace@travellerspace-cornwall.org

In no particular order we say thank you to:

The Henry Smith Charity

The Tudor Trust

Lloyds Bank Foundation

BBC Children In Need 

The Heritage Lottery Fund

UK Community Foundations and Comic Relief

The Allen Lane Foundation

The Clothworkers' Company

Cornwall Council Gypsy, Traveller and Showpeople Site Consultation

Cornwall Council is launching a public consultation on how and where residential, transit and Showpeople sites can be provided for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople in Cornwall.
The consultation period runs from Monday 25 April until 5pm on Monday 6 June 2016 and will influence the Gypsy and Travelling Communities Site Allocations Development Plan (DPD), to meet needs identified as part of the Cornwall Local Plan.

Cornwall Council needs to provide suitable, well managed sites in appropriate locations, to meet the existing and future needs of Gypsies and Travellers. This will enable the provision of decent homes in the future for these communities and particularly those that need assistance in finding safe and secure sites to live on or stay on whilst they are travelling in Cornwall. The provision of a range of additional authorised sites should help alleviate the problems sometimes experienced when groups of Travellers use unauthorised and unsuitable sites.

Cornwall has a number of approved and authorised Gypsy & Traveller sites, however, there are also unauthorised sites (without planning permission). Evidence available on the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers in Cornwall suggest:

• There is a shortage of and a need for transit sites and emergency stopping places;
• More public sites are needed to meet the needs of Travelling communities in addition to the three already provided
• There is a need to facilitate the provision of private sites to meet the expanding needs of Gypsy and Traveller families in Cornwall.

This ‘Scoping document’ marks the formal start of the process of preparing the Gypsy and Travelling Communities Site Allocations Plan. Evidence suggests that by 2030 Cornwall will need an additional:

• 318 residential pitches on both public and private sites, including the  requirement for a new public site or sites to meet the needs of different Traveller groups;
• 60 transit pitches strategically located across Cornwall (15 of these were recently given planning permission) together with a network of emergency stopping places; and
• additional Travelling Showpeople plots.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for planning Edwina Hannaford said: “We want to hear from a wide audience to understand what interested parties think about the proposals in this scoping document before the first version of the Gypsy and Travelling Communities Site Allocations DPD is produced. The Council will engage with key stakeholders and will then consult on the DPD’s content prior to its submission to the Secretary of State.”
Once complete, the DPD will sit alongside the Cornwall Local Plan: Strategic Policies document and the Council’s Gypsies and Travelling Communities Strategy and will provide greater definition as to how key policies relating to Gypsies, Travellers and Traveling Showpeople will be delivered in Cornwall.
As well as being accessible on the Council’s website, hard copies of the ‘Scoping document’ can also be accessed at any Library or One-Stop-Shop. You can also email localplan@cornwall.gov.uk for further information.

All comments should be returned to the Council by 5pm on Monday 06 June 2016.

New Project Gives Young Gypsies and Travellers an Opportunity to Discover Their History

Thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), a group of young Gypsies and Travellers in Cornwall will have an opportunity to find out more about their history.

With the help of TravellerSpace, working in partnership with the University of Exeter’s Centre for Cornish Studies, the young people will find out about how older generations of their families lived and document important heirlooms and traditions from the last 100 years. The two year project will include displays, photography, oral history and the chance to work alongside professional historians to record what is discovered. 

"It will help other people understand better about Gypsies and Travellers. People are kinder when they know a little about us" - Kelly Price, project participant

 "We are delighted to have received this grant, and are eager to start supporting the young Gypsies and Travellers of Cornwall to learn new skills in heritage, interviewing, and photography." - Katie Wise, TravellerSpace

'This is a fantastic project, involving young people in researching, recording and sharing the rich heritage of Gypsy and Traveller communities. It's a terrific opportunity for young people to learn a range of new skills which is something that we're really keen to support.' - Nerys Watts, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South West

A photograph display will be created and displayed at a number of venues in Cornwall.    

If you would like to be involved in this project, as a participant or volunteer, please get in touch with TravellerSpace.

Cornwall Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment 2015

Need a pitch on a Council site? Want to buy your own ground? Tired of being always moved on? This is your chance to have your say. 

Cornwall Council have commissioned an independent assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers in the county. This piece of work follows on from a flawed assessment carried out in 2014. TravellerSpace and Ruston Planning Limited successfully challenged this assessment at Cornwall Council's Local Plan Examination. The Inspector recognised that it was not developed in conjunction with, or informedby, active engagement with representatives of the Gypsy and Traveller Community in Cornwall, so called for it to be carried out again.

This new study will provide Gypsies and Travellers with a way to speak about their accommodation issues and preferences.

TravellerSpace are working in partnership with Southern Horizons Limited and Dr Zoë James, from Plymouth University to talk with Gypsies and Travellers throughout the county over the next month. The study will focus on permanent pitch provision, but will also look at the need for transit sites and also Gypsies and Travellers currently living in housing.

We need to interview as many people in Cornwall as we can, to give the Council a clear picture of what is needed so Gypsies and Travellers have safe and secure places to stop.

The findings will be analysed by the research team and a written report including pitch/plot calculations will be given to the Council by November 2015.  The study findings are expected to help inform the Local Plan, which is the document that guides what development is to take place in Cornwall. 

We understand that people will be worried about passing on information to the Council, particularly if living on an unauthorised site.

All information given will be completely confidential - nothing will identify who you are or where you currently living to the Council.

There are also some separate questions at the end of the main survey about experiences of prejudice and victimisation.  These do not form part of the Needs Assessment and are purely voluntary if people wish to talk about their experiences.  This information will be used (anonymously) by Dr Zoë James as part of an academic study to inform policy around this important area of work, although a short briefing paper about the findings will be also prepared for Cornwall Council.

Why we think it is important to take part

Despite the changes made by the Government as to who will be considered a Gypsy or Traveller for planning purposes, there is still a need and a duty for Councils to find out how many Gypsies and Travellers are in the area and what their accommodation needs are.

The evidence we gather will help at least some people to get planning permission & may support any case for transit sites. It will show where sites are over crowded and where new pitches will be needed in the future as children grow up and have families of their own.

If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed, might be interested in becoming one of our interviewers, or just want to know more please contact 

Caroline on 07939 210 014 or email tspace@travellerspace-cornwall.org

 

Travelling Forward

TravellerSpace are able to offer bespoke qualification courses for Gypsy and Traveller young people aged 14 and over, who are not otherwise in education or employment. We can help with travel and child care if needed. Email or ring the number below for more information.

St Day Women's Group Open Day 2015

St Day Gypsy & Traveller Women's Group will be holding their annual open day on the 17th June, 2015. Everyone's welcome to join our celebration of everything the women & children have achieved in the last year and there's lots to be proud of! If you want to come please ring or email to confirm.

On the Move

We're on the move. TravellerSpace's new address is:

Rm 402,
Fourth Floor PZ360,
St Marys Terrace,
Penzance,
Cornwall.
TR18 4EB
 
Tel: 07939 210 014 / 07534 983 046

tspace@travellerspace-cornwall.org 

The view from our neighbour's office webcam

Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month 2014 - Cornwall Events

TravellerSpace have organised some events for Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month this year. Prior booking for the fil showings is essential as we have limited space.

First transt site for Cornwall?

Cornwall Council and Cornwall Housing are proposing to build a 15 pitch transit site at Horningtops near Liskeard.

There will be a public consultation period followed by the application going through the normal planning process.

 A public exhibition will be held in the Long Room, Public Hall, 3-5 West Street, Liskeard PL14 6BW on Thursday 10 April from 10am to 6pm.

Plymouth Herald article - Gypsy and Traveller site for 15 families planned near Plymouth

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 becomes law on the 1st October.

Damian Le Bas writes about how this will affect Gypsy and Traveller scrap dealers

Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013

London Gypsy and Traveller Unit have published a useful step by step guide to getting registered (pdf)

 

 

Reporting Hate Crime in Cornwall

What is Hate Crime? 

 A hate incident is any kind of behaviour that causes fear, alarm or distress where the victim or anyone else feels that they have been targeted because of their racial heritage, religion or beliefs, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation. If a criminal offence has been committed a hate incident becomes a hate crime.

This can mean threats, damage to property, verbal abuse, offensive graffiti, harassment and violence. It may be targeted at one person or at a group of people.

 “ I was going to the shop in my wheelchair when a group of people spat at me and called me names, this hurt my feelings.”

“ I was on Facebook when I saw racist comments on a friend’s page and this offended me.”

 “ I was at a nightclub when someone hit me and shouted verbal abuse about the colour of my skin.”

 “ I saw an adoption poster covered in graffiti saying horrible things about same sex couples adopting children.”

 Hate crime in any form is wrong but if it goes unchallenged, it will continue to happen. That is why it is important that if you experience, see or know about hate crime in your community, you should report it. We all need to say NO to hate.

 How can you tell us about it?

 There are lots of ways that you can tell us about it. You don’t have to give your personal details if you don’t want to or provide any evidence. By reporting a hate incident when it happens, you can help us to stop it happening again and we can ask you about any support that you or they may need.

We encourage you to tell person affected the police, but you can also go to one of our reporting centres. We have five reporting centres in Cornwall, where you can talk to trained staff about your experiences and they can give you help and support. They can also help you make a report to the police or any other organisation if you wish to or make a report on your behalf (this is called third party reporting).

 If you have seen it, experienced it, know about it or need help, tell us about it using any of the contacts provided on this website.

TravellerSpace is one of the five organisations in Cornwall designated as third party reporting centres. We aim to overcome reporting barriers for people who may be reluctant to contact the police directly. It enables anyone who experiences or witnesses a hate incident to report it to a third party organisation who will communicate with the police and other agencies on their behalf. It also means that an initial assessment of risk can be made and that you or anyone else affected by the incident can access any support that you need. By making a report to the police, they can also make a decision about whether a crime has been committed (only the police can do this).

 The reporting of hate incidents is important and encouraged but support is offered whether you choose to report or not.

Plymouth Transit Site Approved and Then Dropped

Plans to build a desperately needed transit site in Plymouth have been scrapped, despite having previously getting the go ahead.

Bugle Gypsy Site Gets Green Light

From the Cornish Guardian

A GYPSY family has been given the green light to build a home on land near Bugle - more than a decade after they started searching. On Monday Cornwall Council's central sub-area planning committee approved an application for four mobile homes along with three day rooms, reduced from four after local objection, and four touring caravans at Little Meadow, Lavrean, Bowling Green.  Gemma Halstead, planning officer, told the committee there was a "pressing need for Gypsy and Traveller sites". Council chiefs were told only 47 pitches had been allocated in the former Restormel area up until April last year and a further 56 pitches were needed to meet the provision for Gypsy and Travellers up until 2020. But Treverbyn Parish Council opposed the application and called for it to be deferred pending guidance, which the committee was told, was not required because of recent national planning policy.

 Peter Wyper, parish council chairman, said two appeals to build two dwellings on the land had already been dismissed, and later an appeal to site a bungalow had been rejected. He told councillors the planning officers' report showed Little Meadow was not sustainable, that the structures on the site are obtrusive and that the scheme did not comply with local policy to protect and enhance the environment. "Indeed, on reading the report, the only factor that would recommend this application is the fact that Cornwall Council has failed to meet targets for the provision of Traveller sites." He went on to say that on a recent visit to St Austell the Government's Planning Minister, Nick Boles, had told the audience that the "planning system should be blind to Traveller status".

 But Gypsy rights campaigner Maggie Smith-Bendell, representing the family, told the committee there was a "dire need" for more Gypsy and Traveller provisions, and that for many years Cornwall Council had done "literally nothing" to address this. She said the "private Gypsy site" application was for a "very small family unit to keep their children together". The "perfect piece of land for a Gypsy site does not exist", said the activist of 20 years, but she vowed they would work with the council to make the site less visible. She added: "Families are joining other groups out there on the roadside with nowhere to go. Children need access to healthcare and education, running water – it really is a dire need."

 Cornwall councillor Fred Greenslade, committee chairman, said he hoped the Cornwall Local Plan would address the issues of Gypsy and Traveller provision. "I tend to agree with you (Maggie Smith-Bendell); there has been no great provision of land but we must take today's application on its own merits."

After the meeting the family, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said they were over the moon. Mrs Smith-Bendell, speaking on their behalf, added it had been a long road and they were pleased with the result. "Let's just say when we started looking for this family they (their children) were five and six years old and we have an 18-year-old now getting married in a few weeks with nowhere to go."

Three Films For Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month

TravellerSpace present three short films for Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month 2013

Tuesday 25^th June 2013 10.30-12pm

Redruth Cinema

  

The Road Bends  

Darren Lee Wilson 

"A documentary by three members the Gypsy Traveller community, with tales of family upbringing, Appleby, My big fat Gypsy wedding, site evictions, to the cold hard reality of prison life."

Our Big Real Gypsy Lives

Lincolnshire Traveller Initiative

"A documentary about Lincolnshire's Romany Gypsies."

Don’t Judge
St Day Gypsy and Traveller Women's Group

"Gypsy young people from St.Day tell it how it is!"

 Limited spaces so booking with TravellerSpace is essential

St Day Gypsy and Traveller Women's Group Open Day June 2013

St.Day Gypsy and Traveller Women's Group Open Day 19th, June, 2013. All welcome, but let us know if you are coming so we can make enough sandwiches!

Job Advert - Gypsy and Traveller Young Persons' Worker

We are pleased to report that we have been successful in our funding bid to the Travellers' Aid Trust to employ a Gypsy and Traveller Young Persons' Worker. The post is funded for the next 2 years, 12 hours a week, during term term (42 weeks). £18,212 pro rata.

The Gypsy and Traveller Young Persons' Worker will

• provide literacy, numeracy and basic skills support on a one-to-one basis to Gypsy & Traveller young people and have the understanding and passion to address the barriers to education and training experienced by these communities.

• join a dedicated staff team, building on the existing projects and relationships we have already among Travelling communities, to assist young Travellers in identifying training needs and wishes and working on the barriers to their engagement. 

•  build on our partnerships with statutory, voluntary and community sector to help identify existing provision of appropriate courses and training for young Travellers, developing clear communication between providers, young people and their families in order to address any issues as they come up and finding workable solutions where possible. 

•  initiate the developing of bespoke courses with nationally recognised qualifications, which meet the needs of Gypsy & Traveller young people in Cornwall and can be delivered through TravellerSpace partnerships. 

For further details email tspace AT travellerspace-cornwall.org (replacing the AT with @) or ring 01736 366 940.

Closing date for applications is 3rd June, 2013.