Churches Network for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma
Annual Report for March 2014 – May 2015
Introduction
The past year has seen some very
positive changes, such as the very much appreciated opportunity to hold
meetings in Church House, and the very valuable participation of Dr Elizabeth
Henry of CMEAC and of Gary and Olby Brazil of the South East Romany Museum.
There have also been very welcome
links with organisations who are effective and friendly allies in fighting
injustice and promoting positive messages about the Gypsy Roma and Traveller
communities.
Our own progress has included
Ø
opening a bank account
Ø
making a beginning on a business plan
Ø
agreeing a constitution
Ø
making representations in response to the
consultation on Traveller sites policy
Ø
establishing a facebook group which now has 26
members, most of whom were previously not in contact with CNGTR.
Constitution
The constitution sets out the
aims and management of the Network, and who is eligible to join. This probably
needs regular review to ensure that it is sufficiently clear about objectives
and enables us to approach possible funders.
Links with allied organisations
The Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Police
Association held its inaugural AGM on 27th March, 2014, and
was welcomed by the Network on 31st March.
The Brazil family of the South
East Romany Museum expressed their willingness to host a re-launch
event for the Network, and this is still under consideration at the time of
writing. This contact led to further
involvement with Kent Romanies Moses Smith, Pashey Smith, Gary,
Esther and Olby Brazil,
and their friend Miranda Thompson, who have since attended some meetings, and
sought our help in establishing a non-exclusive non-sectarian Christian
fellowship. This challenge has been taken up by Wesley and Clare Sargent of
the Congregational Church, who feel led to proceed on the basis of
growing relationships rather than structures.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group
for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers alerted us to the consultation document from
the Department for Communities and Local Government, which proposed, in the
words of the APPG chairman to “re-define
Travellers out of existence”. In
response to this, The
Community Law Partnership published
a discussion document and hosted an event in
Birmingham to draw together ideas for
responses. This was attended by the
Co-ordinator, and led to a response from the Network which now appears on the
Community Law Partnership’s web site. (
http://www.communitylawpartnership.co.uk/noticeboard/campaigns-and-consultations)
The Travellers Aid Trust held
two national meetings which discussed this among other issues facing the GRT
communities, and these were attended by the Chairman and the Co-ordinator, with
Roger giving a presentation at the second.
The London Gypsy Traveller Unit responded
with an excellent video and with a postcard response campaign, “weSTILLcount”,
which we supported by posting on facebook and distributing postcards.
The Irish Traveller Movement Launched
“Operation Traveller Vote” to encourage Travellers to register to vote, and to
use their vote. This led to many people
expressing the need to have the different parties explained to them, and
members may feel that the empowerment and enabling of an informed voice and
vote for all Roma and Travellers is something that the Network could support in
future.
In the event, Eric Pickles’
proposed guidelines were blocked by David Laws, who has since lost his seat, so
the future is uncertain.
Membership
The network had an e-mailing list
of 63 members as at March last year, and this now stands at 56. The leavers have said that they are no longer
involved with Gypsy Traveller and Roma issues, or that they are too busy to
participate in the Network. Two of the
e-mail addresses are not functional, and three are new contacts, one from the
Evangelical Alliance, one from a pastor working with Roma, and one from an
Anglican in the Exeter Diocese.
The facebook page has a
membership of 26, of whom only two are on the e-mailing list.
We need to increase the size and
representativeness of the active membership.
Bank account
The bank account was opened with
£25 donated at a meeting, and augmented by an individual gift of £100 since
then. £30 is due to come out of that to
pay for a Rail Card for the Co-ordinator.
Conclusion
The coming years will be very
challenging for all minority ethnic
groups, as Human Rights legislation is potentially reduced, and the growth in
number of Traveller sites probably further slowed. It is foreseeable that both of these will be
accompanied by public rhetoric tending to xenophobia. As an organisation whose
active membership is very small, the Network needs to plan its aims and
strategy carefully in order to be effective.
Free me lord 
