Welcome to the November edition of

Spotlight: Partnerships and Development Bulletin

Welcome to our November Spotlight! Read on to find out about our work over the last month and remember to follow us on social media for regular updates. X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

In the Spotlight

Welcome from the CEO

Welcome to the Traveller Movement’s November newsletter. This has been an incredibly full and energising month for us marked by a successful Annual Conference, encouraging developments in Manchester, and important progress across our policy and research work.

First, I want to thank everyone who joined us at this year’s Annual Conference. Attendance was back to pre-Covid levels, and it was wonderful to see such a strong turnout from young people in particular. Your insights, energy, and commitment to change set a powerful tone for the year ahead.

We were also pleased to hear that the Manchester Christmas Markets ran smoothly this year, with all children and families able to enjoy the event alongside the wider public. Indeed, some of our team members and their families were their to enjoy. As far as we are aware, there were no reported arrests a positive sign that lessons were learned from last year. We sincerely hope that Greater Manchester Police and Arendale Security reflect on this year’s approach and recognise that fair, proportionate policing builds stronger relationships with all communities.

Our policy and research work continues at pace. Our study into policing experiences among Romani (Gypsy) and Irish Traveller communities is now in its final stages and moving toward publication in the New Year. Alongside this, our Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer has collaborated with Clinks on a new evidence review highlighting the urgent changes needed across the justice system. Clinks will also be hosting a free online event to accompany the review, bringing together community voices and sector experts.

Finally, we are delighted to welcome Lewis Robinson as our new Head of Policy and Public Affairs. Lewis brings a wealth of experience and will play a key role in strengthening our advocacy and national influence. He takes up post next month.

Thank you for your continued support, engagement, and solidarity. We look forward to closing out the year with purpose and stepping into the next with renewed determination.

Yvonne MacNamara

CEO

Annual Conference 2025 ‘Who’s Left Behind? Rebuilding Trust, Fairness and Opportunity’ Reflections

Thank you to everyone who joined us at this year’s Annual Conference. It was, without a doubt, an inspiring day full of thoughtful discussion, powerful insights, and a shared commitment to driving change. Attendance was back up to pre-Covid levels, which made the day feel especially energising. What was also striking and wonderful to see was the number of young people in attendance.

For us at the Traveller Movement, the Annual Conference marks the close of our year, and we left the event feeling re-energised and ready for the work ahead.

This newsletter offers some reflections on the day and extends our gratitude to the speakers, community members, partners, and attendees who made it so memorable.

A very special thank you goes to all the community members who joined us, whose contributions grounded the day in lived experience and purpose. We want to celebrate the students of Harris Academy Orpington, who brought a youthful voice, positive energy, and a hopeful vision for the future. With young people like them stepping forward, the future truly is bright.

And yes, many of you will remember that they encouraged everyone to cast their vote in our Christmas Card Competition....more on that later!

Keynote Address - The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Lincoln

‘There is tyranny in tidiness’

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the Lord Bishop of Lincoln for delivering such a timely and thoughtful keynote address. His reflections set the tone for a day of constructive, nuanced and productive conversations.

One of the themes he captured so powerfully was the idea that the concerns of our communities, and the inequalities they face, are so often overlooked by policymakers because they do not fit neatly into a box. These are not tidy problems, and for government, that can make the solutions appear complex or inconvenient. As he noted, there is a “tyranny in such tidiness”.

He urged those in the room, and policymakers across the country, to embrace rather than erase that nuance. By working together and truly listening to authentic voices, many of whom were in that room in Lambeth on a Thursday morning, we can create meaningful and lasting change.

His message to policymakers was clear: our communities have already participated in countless research projects, consultations, and evidence-gathering exercises. The evidence is there. The experiences are documented. Now, it is time for policymakers to act.

Panel One: Policy Gaps and Invisible Communities: Who Gets Left Behind?

This panel was a lively discussion amongst key figures and certainly brought a lively discussion in the Q&A section. Residents from the Redbourn Site in Hertfordshire joined us for this discussion and spoke passionately about the difficulties they are facing following the devastating fire which left multiple families traumatised, displaced, and without homes.

Their contributions underscored the central message of the panel: our communities urgently need a coordinated, cross-government response to the crises they face, especially for those living on sites or seeking to sustain a traditional way of life through site accommodation.

A further reflection for the Traveller Movement was equally clear: we must do more to highlight and champion examples of good practice. Across the country, effective and compassionate policymaking is happening driven by dedicated organisations, local authorities, and individuals. Shining a light on this positive work is essential if we are to push for change that is both practical and hopeful.

Panel Two: Around the Campfire: Reclaiming Identity, Belonging and Pride

Our around the campfire panel is always one of our most important and insightful moments on the day, and this year was no exception. We asked our panellists some difficult questions about identity, authenticity, and belonging. Too often, those who speak out, pursue education, take up leadership, or challenge injustice face not only external discrimination but also internal criticism. Many are told they are “not Traveller enough” or ridiculed for daring to raise their voice. Putting your head above the parapet is never easy and for our communities, it can come at a real personal cost.

One of our panellists reflected powerfully about her journey charting her own path, choosing faith, education, work and the difficulties she found breaking the mould. She reminded us that being an Irish Traveller is just one part of her identity: her life, like the lives of so many in our communities, is multifaceted and cannot be reduced to a single label.

We want to thank all the community members who spoke, listened, and engaged with this panel. We look forward to gathering around the campfire with you all again next year.

Christmas Card Competition

One of our favourite aspects of every conference is our annual Christmas Card Competition! This year we had an amazing 14 entries from Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller children all over the country!

We want to congratulate Bridie who came 1st in the Christmas Card competition. The card will be used as TMs official Christmas card for 2025!

Thank you to all the children who submitted their designs this year they where all amazing.

November Updates

Parliamentary Updates

The Crime and Policing Bill has been making its way through the House of Lords over the last number of months and we alongside our partner organisations have been briefing parliamentarians on the Bill. We are briefing on two main issues, the unnecessary of extension of anti-social behaviour powers and the need to finally repeal the changes implemented in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

Over the last decade, legislative changes have criminalised the lifestyles of the Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Travellers. Many are forced into unsuitable housing due to inadequate site provision, and changes made to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 effectively banned their way of life, undermined cultural customs and infringed upon their fundamental human rights. At a minimum, this Bill must not reinforce or extend measures that perpetuate discrimination.

We have been working alongside the Bishop of Lincoln and Manchester and Baroness Whitaker to table amendments to halt the passage of the Bill without protections for our communities.

National Policy Developments

Budget 2025

We are delighted that the government has finally committed to scrapping the two-child benefit cap, a change that will lift hundreds of thousands of families out of poverty. Government estimates indicate that this decision will reduce the number of children living in poverty by 450,000 by 2029/30, a transformative step for families across the country.

We are proud to have campaigned for this change alongside so many third-sector organisations. Our membership in the Child Poverty Action Group has been instrumental, ensuring that Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller families remain at the heart of national conversations on poverty and inequality. This victory belongs to every organisation, advocate and community member who fought tirelessly to make their voices heard.

National Hate Crime Awareness Week #StopTravellerHate Campaign in Partnership with StopFundingHate

For National Hate Crime Awareness Week, we partnered with StopFundingHate to deliver our #StopTravellerHate campaign, a call-to-action urging people to challenge and report hate wherever they encounter it.

Throughout the week, the campaign highlighted how hate targeting Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller communities often appears across both traditional and social media, and provided clear guidance on how to report abusive, discriminatory or inflammatory content.

Our message was simple: we need ordinary people to stand with our communities. By reporting hate when they see it, everyone can play a part in making the online and offline world safer, fairer and more accountable.

Manchester Christmas Markets 2025

We were delighted to hear about the smooth running of the Christmas Markets this year, and especially that all our children were able to enjoy the event alongside other members of the public. We are pleased that lessons were learned from last year’s challenges and that this year’s approach ensured fairness, safety, and inclusion for everyone. As far as we are aware, there were

no reported arrests, which is an important marker of progress.

We also hope that Greater Manchester Police and Arendale Security have taken time to reflect on their actions last year, and recognise that when policing is fair, proportionate, and community-minded, it leads to better relationships with everyone. This year has shown what is possible when a more considered approach is taken.

After a year of working closely with community groups, we hope that Manchester Police and other local organisations will continue building positive and trusting relationships with our communities. There is real potential for this progress to grow, and we look forward to supporting that journey.

Education Policy Team Update

Our Education Policy Team hosted a fantastic event in Parliament to celebrate the launch of our new report: Fought not Taught: Tackling Institutionally Coercive Exclusions for Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller Children. This publication builds on our earlier report, Fought not Taught: Addressing Coercive Exclusions for Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller Children, which exposed how exclusionary practices and toxic educational environments disproportionately affect these pupils.

While the first report focused on identifying and evidencing the problem of institutionally coercive exclusions, this follow-up shifts the conversation towards meaningful and actionable solutions. It sets out clear policy recommendations aimed at transforming persistently harmful educational environments and ensuring that all children, without exception, can learn, grow and thrive in settings that respect their identity and potential.

You can read the report here.

We were delighted to welcome such a wide range of partners to the launch, all of whom play a crucial role in advancing these recommendations. Our thanks go to The Difference, to Jonny Uttley, CEO of The Education Alliance Multi-Academy Trust (TEAL), and once again to the Bishop of Lincoln for contributing to such an engaging and insightful panel discussion. We look forward to working with all of them to drive forward the change our children deserve.

Criminal Justice Policy Team Update

Our research into policing experiences among Romani (Gypsy) and Irish Traveller communities is now in its final stages and will hopefully be moving towards publication in the New Year. This work represents one of the most comprehensive pieces of evidence we’ve produced in recent years, drawing together the voices, testimonies, and long-overdue insights from our communities.

Our Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer has also been working closely with Clinks to produce a new evidence review for their library bringing together research and lived experience to shine a light on the areas where change is urgently needed, and where the justice system continues to fall short.

To accompany the review, Clinks is hosting a free online event, offering an opportunity to hear directly from experts, practitioners, and community voices about the findings and what must happen next. This will be an important space for reflection, learning, and action.

🎥 Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller Communities and the Criminal Justice System: what the evidence tells us

🗓 Wednesday 3 December | 12:00-13:00 | Free | Online

The webinar will unpack the review’s key findings and explore how policymakers, practitioners and voluntary sector organisations can improve outcomes for GRT people in contact with the justice system.

👉 Read the evidence review here

👉 Register for the webinar here

Parliament & Government announcements

The government has opened a public consultation on the Traveller Caravan Count statistics, seeking views on proposed changes to the way data is collected. Currently, local authorities carry out the count twice a year, in January and July. The consultation proposes reducing both the frequency and the scope of this data collection, with the stated aim of lessening the administrative burden on local authorities and exploring “new opportunities for developing this data collection.”

You can respond here.

It is essential that community voices are heard in this process. The current count is a blunt tool with a crude name, and any changes must ensure that data collected is accurate, disaggregated and reflective of reality. Robust, reliable data is vital in ensuring that resources reach ethnic minority communities who have been historically discriminated against and too often left behind.

BLOG

On November 20th, TM's Community Development Officer, Annalise Corcoran joined Panel 2 at the Annual Conference speaking on Rebuilding Trust, Fairness and Opportunity. Here Annalise reflects on her time on stage alongside Michael Reilly, Charmaine Abdul Karim, Virgil Bitu and Pauline Melvin-Anderson OBE.

Read the full BLOG here

Opportunities to get involved in our work

Advisory board ongoing recruitment – find out more here.

TM are also recruiting for a new Intern for the Partnerships team. Find out more here. This is an ideal opportunity for anyone with an interest in film making, social media and/or digital design.