I'm settled traveller married to a non traveller AMA

[uhtredsonofuhtred]

Just that really 

I have some friends who are teachers who have often provided clean clothes and food from their own wages for students from traveller families and have washed kids and given them toothbrushes to use at school.

Is this the ‘class’ thing or is it because the parents aren’t educated enough?

@poutysprout you live where I live and I worked in the city center in a high end retail shop. I had one lovely traveller client who was polite and lovely to chat to, I had another who used to rob us. Using their children as distractions. One family lived in the site you talked about, the other further afield. I can bet you can guess which one lived where. The horses tired to the road is awful and everytime I pass I wonder why more can’t be done for them

That's not my experience, @PaddingtonMare I have taught (and still do) loads of Gypsy and Traveller kids in my time and I must say they are generally among the better looked after/turned out kids in the class.

And have done the same as your teacher friends for plenty of children who were non Traveller.

@TheTroutofNoCraic I wonder if it’s a difference of location. My friends are at two different, but close primaries, we were having a discussion one night and they realised it happened every year around the same time.

I certainly know that the situation isn’t exclusive to travellers and it’s sad in all cases.

the99 the crime you refer to was it arson. I wanted to adopt a little boy who was in my son’s reception class. His father was very dangerous and had convictions for arson but the children were not removed from him. It haunts me

It could be a regional thing, to be sure. i'M IN nORTH wEST.
When I lived in the Midlands, I didn't teach any English Gypsies/Irish Travellers but did teach Eastern European Roma children, and definitely had more CP concerns with them...but I think that's largely to do with the abject poverty and living conditions of EE Roma people in general in UK.

Did your family (parents) pay taxes?

@user1457017537 arson was in there, he also seriously assaulted another traveller family with a medieval weapon, and many other more minor offences.

It's heartbreaking to think of the future for those children.

Paddingtonmare, I'm surprised at that. Travellers pride themselves on their standard of cleanliness and good clothes. Your teacher friend must have encountered an unusually deprived family.

TheTroutofnocraic, I feel for those poor horses too, can't believe the RSPCA or similar did nothing. Travellers are supposed to be good with horses too and breed them.

There are good and bad in all communities.

I hope Pinkyyy comes back.

@jessstan2 @UtterlyDesperate thank you both, I may start a thread next week when I have some free time and hopefully I'll be able to answer any more questions you may have.

With regards to the children being neglected, I'm quite shocked at that and would assume that was also to do with income/class. Travellers take pride in dressing their children in (overly) fancy clothes and keeping them well turned out, it's not uncommon for children to wear designer outfits and expensive jewellery.

@Coconutty I agree, every thread of this nature I've seen on here just ends up in racism and stereotyping and never actually achieves anything, that's what has always prevented me from starting one. Yes we do too, I don't know any travellers that don't which is what made me question the OP when she said she doesn't speak it or even know the name.

In fairness the family I met were not gypsy they were itinerant though and were more labelled by authorities as travellers just because they moved around.

@user1457017537 They were quite possibly 'New Age Travellers'...which are people who are not from any of the ethnic Traveller groups, rather are non Travellers who have adopted the lifestyle for various reasons.

For those interested, I have started the thread. Hopefully it doesn't end in disaster.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/AMA/3479041-Im-a-traveller-AMA

Thanks Pinkyyy!

TheTroutofnoCraic, I remember New Age Travellers! You don't hear of them these days. I found them very romantic and fascinating when I was young :-).

Right, over to Pinkyyy's new thread.

You’re not a traveller if you’re not travel.

Don't be so daft Cherries.