Over the past 4 years BVSNW has built up its experience of working with Gypsy & Traveller communities in several areas, including the mystical roller coaster of planning appeals.

Gypsies & Travellers

BVSNW has worked hard towards establishing effective communication networks and enabling representation of the Gypsy and Traveller community in different social arenas within Wales. In light of the fact that Gypsy-Traveller communities were highlighted dmongst the top three most discriminated against groups in Wales by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, BVSNW responded by improving it’s work and engagement with this community.

Current and past work with Gypsy-Travellers Communities:

Over the past two years BVSNW’s work with Gypsy and Travellers communities across Wales has increased. By working in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government, BVSNW delivered services and several consultation events across Wales on issues of relevance for this community.

The most salient pieces of work with this community were:

Consultation events regarding the Housing Regeneration Act 2008:
This piece of work was commissioned by the Inclusion Unit of the Welsh Assembly Government and was carried out in five sites across Wales. In order to communicate the implications of the act, BVSNW devised an easy read booklet that was aimed at those members of the community with low literacy levels.

Parallel to the consultation events, a scoping exercise was done with female members of the community. This scoping exercise was carried out in North, Mid and South Wales. The exercise shed light on three main areas: There was a general interest in establishing a Welsh Gypsy-Travellers women’s group. There was a general lack of confidence within the female members of the community, and this was identified as a main barrier to their active involvement in public life and finally, there was a great need for building the capacity of young females in the community.

We also facilitated consultation events with regards to the Site Design and Site Management documents in different sites across Wales (West, Mid, North East and North West Wales) where Gypsy-Travellers residents had the opportunity to express their opinions and preferences about the two documents.

Representation of Gypsy and Travellers delegates was secured in: Local Authority Working Task Groups (South Powys), North Wales Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment Steering Group (Llandygai site in Bangor), and attendance at the Gypsies, Roma and Travellers Conference held in Newport, in March 12th 2009.

Working with the Gypsy and Traveller communitiy has increased our portfolio of work as it relates to representing the needs of and support for marginalised groups.

BVSNW are taking into consideration the emerging and increased need in support for Gypsy and Traveller Communities and are proactively engaging in dialogue with the Welsh Assembly Government - Gypsy and Traveller Unit to explore funding to consolidate and continue our work in 2009-10.

BVSNW in partnership with several other organisations, hosted the celebrations for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month in Cardiff in June 2009

We continue to work on a one to one basis with members of the Travelling communities on a needs basis.

We are also able to offer Traveller Awareness training to organisations & individuals wishing to or already working with the Travelling Communities.

For further information, please contact Patricia Barrera at BVSNW on 02920 440182 or by email: patricia.barrera@bvsnw.org.uk

Please click here to download an information sheet on Gypsies & Travellers.

Archieve work

In May 2005, we worked with Community First team in Llanion ward, Pembroke Dock to help them engage with residents on the Waterloo Site in Pembroke Dock. However, due to several factors it has been decided to close the Waterloo site & we are still unaware as to what alternative accommodation the residents have been offered, as this is continuous.
In May 2006, we were involved with helping a family of Welsh Romanies with their application for planning permission on a brownfield site that they had purchased in Carmarthenshire. Unfortunately the pressure that this family faced, living on the roadside for months on end, lack of understanding of the planning procedures & the stress of facing eviction led to the break up of this family & their search for a permanent base continues.
In September 2006, we started negotiations on behalf of a family of Welsh Romanies who have spent the last 2 years living in a layby on one of Wales’ main traffic routes. We were also involved in the making of a documentary on the lives of this family. However, the land that the Local Authority had identified for these residents for a permanent site was lost recently as it has now decided to use it for a Sewage Treatment In recent months we have assisted with the consultation for the new planning legislation with the Gypsy Traveller Support Unit in the Welsh Assembly Government. We are working with this unit on the site standards consultation, which we hope will lead to better conditions on current sites and form the guidelines in the development of new sites, when money becomes available.
During 2007/8 BVSNW’s outreach and capacity building activities undertaken by our Community Development Officer, have identified and highlighted the need for increased support, advocacy, engagement and consultation with Gypsy and Traveller individuals and communities across key areas of Wales.

In light of this, BVSNW has focussed some of it’s time and resources in responding to the particular needs of Gypsy and Travelling community. We have worked across key local authourity areas and sites in Wales including:

Brecon, Merthyr, Pembroke Dock, Phwelli & Marchgog (North Wales), Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen
The key issues raised by these communities include:

Gaps in service provision

Education and Housing

Health and Social Welfare

Lack of representation at local authority and government level

Supoort and advocacy

BVSNW has provided a range of support to these communities through a proportionate service as part of our core work.

The support has included:

Providing advice on planning appeals and processes

Representing families at meetings with local authority departments

Gathering and providing information required as evidence at planning appeals hearings

Advocacy at ministerial meetings to raise issues relating to health

Working in partnership with Save The Children to produce the ‘Travelling Ahead’ DVD

Advising families on agencies that are willing to support them against enforce ment & eviction.

Helping families with literacy issues in correspondence processes.

In addition to the above, BVSNW have represented Gypsy and Traveller issues through the All Party Parliamentary Committee and on a European level through the UK Association of Romany Women.

Working with the Gypsy and Traveller communitiy has increased our portfolio of work as it relates to representing the needs of and support for marginalised groups.