Paul Boucher of the Lincolnshire Traveller Initiative, which is supported by the county council, says: “Hopefully what we have done will improve understanding of one of Britain’s most misunderstood cultures and have an impact on the number of racially-motivated incidents against them that are reported each year.”
The project team had to work hard to gain the trust of the gypsy and traveller community, but executive producer David Lambert said: “The results are quite stunning. We have learnt so much about traditions around food, work, education, the role of women and more from the older people, while the young people have produced some incredible pieces of poetry and prose which, we hope, will give the settled community an insight into the challenges and joys of their lives.
“People have shared stories with the young people as interviewers about subjects as diverse as how they choose schools for their children and the increasing importance of a good education to how to catch and cook a hedgehog, the traditional way – although the young people weren’t keen on eating it.”