Skip to main content
In this section:

Gypsy and Traveller Involvement

Welcome to the Gypsy and Traveller Involvement Project on the Bradford CVS website!

Gypsies and Travellers in Bradford

In Bradford there are different groups of people who are part of the Traveller communities. This term is used to describe those identifiable groups who either are, or have been, traditionally associated with a nomadic lifestyle, and include Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers, travelling show people, circus families and New Travellers.

There are no official figures on the size of the Traveller and Gypsy population nationally but it is estimated to be around 300,000. This would mean that the Traveller and Gypsy community may be similar in size to Britain's Bangladeshi community (280,000). Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers are each recognised as a distinct ethnic group.

Some parts of the Traveller communities have had links with Bradford for some considerable time, and a number of families have been based on the two main static sites for some years. In 2006, a Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment Pilot was undertaken in Bradford. The report highlighted that the community need support to empower them to voice their own concerns in the appropriate places and to become part of the solutions. [Source: Bradford Council Communities of Interest Framework for Action Planning.]

As a result, the Gypsy and Traveller Working Group, supported by Bradford Council's Diversity and Inclusion project, which involves many agencies across Bradford, has employed Violet Cannon as a Gypsy and Traveller Involvement Worker. Bradford CVS, a member of the working group, has been successful in a bid to the Equality and Human Rights Commission to host the project and manage the worker with the support of the working group. Violet's role is to encourage all sections of the gypsy and traveller communities to explore common ground and work towards shared goals. The project has established a Steering Group, from the community, who will work together with service providers to encourage interaction and improve access.

Contact Violet

Please contact Violet if you are interested in finding out more about the Gypsy and Traveller communities, if you would like support to engage members of these communities in your work or if you would like to raise awareness of these communities amongst your staff.

Contact the Involvement Worker, Violet Cannon, at Bradford CVS on 01274 722772 or email violet

Top of page