Traveller culture

In Hampshire there are several groups of travelling people:

• Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers
• Showmen and Circus
• New Travellers

Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers

Traditionally Gypsy Travellers lived and worked in the rural areas of Hampshire. Many came to work in the hop fields and to pick strawberries for the London market.

Some of these families have settled in houses and follow a fairly sedentary life style whilst retaining their cultural background. Other families moved on to local authority managed sites in Hampshire or bought land themselves and set up small private sites.

There are a few families who still travel around Hampshire and the surrounding counties, others regularly pass through Hampshire and may stay for short periods whilst the fathers are working in the area.

The Romany language is still used by some families. Their sense of family is very strong and they often feel isolated from the settled communities around them.

Showmen and Circus

The history of fairs dates back to Roman times. From the Middle Ages almost 5,000 fairs were granted royal charters to hold fairs annually on a specified day. One of these is the Hampshire Wickham Fair, which is still held annually on May 20th.

The work of the fairground is frequently arduous and the lifestyle generally involves regular patterns of migration. The older children are given responsibility and are expected to participate in the business eventually.

The fair and circus season begins at Easter and lasts until the middle of November. During the winter months the families return to their own winter quarters, or yards, and from this base the children attend school.

Schools support Showmen's children with distance learning when they are unable to attend school. The Traveller Education Service will liaise and support schools when families move.

When a Showman's child returns to his or her winter school re-establishing contact with peers, staff, and the school day can require some sensitivity on the part of the school if the child is not to feel isolated and different.

Circus children access local schools when they are in the county. The Traveller Education Service assists with admissions.

New Travellers

New Traveller families have adopted an alternative lifestyle and have taken to the road for a variety of reasons e.g. rejection of an increasingly materialistic society.

Some New Traveller parents take responsibility for their childrens education. They also have their own `Traveller Skool', which is a charity providing distance learning materials to support KS1 and 2.

The Traveller Education Service liaises with families and schools when needed, however the numbers of New Traveller school age children are small.