Three voluntary organisations work in the three authorities – Friends, Gypsies and
Travellers (FGT), the Gypsy Traveller Support Group (GTSG) and the Association of Gypsy and Irish Travellers (AGIT).
FGT and GTSG are led by Gaujos and have employed both traditional Gypsies and Travellers and New Age Travellers. AGIT is led by an Irish Traveller. All three have had difficulties raising finance, but AGIT has never applied for or received funding, possibly
through lack of experience and the need for assistance with applications. The
organisations are always vulnerable to changes in funding policy and continually need to develop new projects to raise funds. The organisations and their work are described briefly below.
5.4.1. Friends, Gypsies and Travellers (FGT)
This, the largest and most established organisation, is a national organisation with a remit to take up national issues. As its website states:
[It] was established in response to the 1994 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act
and is one of a number of leading organisations which have emerged seeking to address the problems facing the Traveller and Gypsy community. Over a small number of years, [it] grew from an informal support group and network helping to deal with crises ...to a formal advice, information and training organisation
providing a wide range of services to all Travellers nationwide61.
At the time of this research, it employed thirteen people, half or them Gypsies, Travellers or New Travellers. It was well represented in national discussions at government level and was a member of the All-Parliamentary Group. It provided an advice service and was proactive in gaining funding to support the health and wellbeing of Travellers, particularly issues around childbirth. It also had a mental health and advice remit and advised Gypsies and Travellers on individual cases. It has not to date addressed educational issues. It generally enjoyed a good reputation among the Gypsies and Travellers who used its services.
5.4.2. Association of Gypsy and Irish Travellers (AGIT)
This organisation was very small. It was led by an experienced Traveller of Irish heritage, who undertook specific work with individuals and was an influential participant in the WNTF and in PGTG. He also undertook diversity training for the police.
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5.4.3. Gypsy Traveller Support Group (GTSG)
GTSG is a local organisation and as mentioned above, membership of this group and the projects undertaken, facilitated my access to the communities and consultative forums. Though not part of my research, the projects provided the background to my engagement with Gypsies and Travellers in Southshire, facilitated access and provided additional information. I describe the projects below.
5.4.3.1. The Change-Up Programme
Funding from the national “Change Up” programme was obtained in 2006 to undertake work in Westborough and Southshire in collaboration with three other organisations who worked respectively with black and ethnic minorities, faith groups, refugees and asylum seekers.
The programme was designed to address issues of inclusion. In Southshire, a survey of Gypsies and Travellers was undertaken to assess their use of statutory and voluntary services. A written questionnaire was not feasible due to the low level of literacy among the Gypsy and Traveller community though written questionnaires were used by statutory bodies on a number of issues including health and site provision. “Face to face” structured interviews in which the interviewer recorded the answers were designed. Access was negotiated through the Senior Traveller Liaison Officer responsible for site management, and a Romani Gypsy, who had sufficient literacy skills to record the answers, was
employed to undertake the interviews. There were advantages and disadvantages to using a quantitative survey method. With hindsight, qualitative and unstructured interviews would have provided richer and more detailed information. As Dunne, Pryor and Yates observed (2005:47), “The values and position of the researcher are captured, solidified and concealed within the questionnaire.” On the other hand, as a Gypsy, she was able to access the community relatively easily and interview ninety-eight people in Southshire. When the first survey had been completed, the results analysed and the report written, there were sufficient funds remaining for the same Romani Gypsy to undertake a further twenty-eight interviews the following year.
5.4.3.2. Red Bus Project
Following the second series of interviews a small project was developed in conjunction with the lead organisation. A community bus was hired from the Youth Service and visited three sites on two occasions each. Relevant organisations were invited to accompany the bus on to the sites and explain the services they offered to residents. These visits enabled me to familiarise myself with the sites and meet many of the residents, note how many children of school age were on site during the school day, and explore with them and their mothers the reasons for their absence from school.
5.4.3.3. Connecting Communities
In 2009 funding was obtained from the Department of Communities and Local Government under the “Connecting Communities Programme”. Twenty-two semi-
structured face-to-face interviews were carried out on six different sites to gain greater in- depth information on their use of statutory and voluntary services. I carried out eight of the interviews, which were not directly connected to my research on literacy, but gave me the opportunity to observe their literacy usage and note if their level of literacy hindered or facilitated their use of services. I met Gary, one of my four key interviewees, through this project. When he raised the issue of his literacy difficulties I explained my research and he was happy to elaborate, as is detailed in Chapter 7. On several occasions I had the opportunity to chat informally to family members or people around the site. This provided valuable additional information on perceptions of literacy and education.
5.4.3.4. Developing a Traveller-led forum
In 2010 GTSG received funding for three years from the National Lottery to engage with site residents to establish a Traveller-led forum in Southshire to facilitate their contribution to decision making processes affecting them. The Gypsy and Traveller cultural tradition of representing only your family makes this a challenging project.
5.4.3.5. Statutory / voluntary cooperation
Cooperation between the three voluntary organisations and the Traveller Liaison officers in all three authorities was generally positive, though relations with officials and councillors
were occasionally a little strained when they were questioned on their policies, the shortage of permanent and transit sites and the consequent evictions.