MY STORY BY ANGIE JONES
I CAN REMEMBER BEING ON A CHERRY ORCHARD WHEN I WAS SMALL AND MY JOB WAS GOING ROUND THE FIELD WITH A RATTLE TO SCARE THE BIRDS AWAY SO THE DID'NT EAT THE CHERRIES. I REMEMBER IT WAS WORTH A TRIP TO THE PUB WITH MUM AND DAD ON A SATURDAY EVENING WHEN ALL THE FAMILIES WOULD MEET UP. THE WORST SITE IVE EVER LIVED ON WAS CHURCH MARSHES SITTINGBOURNE, KENT. IVE ADDED A PHOTO HERE SO YOU CAN SEE. THE SITE WAS A DUMP FULL OF RATS, A STAND PIPE FOR US TO GET THE WATER AND THE GAVERS WOULD ALWAYS DO RAIDS. MY DAD USED TO LIKE IT DOWN IN THE APPLE ORCHARD BIT, THATS WHERE THIS PHOYO WAS TAKEN, THE OTHER PHOTO IS ME AND MY SISTER ON WASH DAY, AT MILL WAY SITTINGBOURNE.
MY MUM AND DAD WOULD TRAVELLE AS MUCH AS THEY COULD, FROM KENT TO MANCHESTER TO BRADFORD, TO WHERE EVER THERE WAS WORK REALLY.
AS WE GOT OLDER WE GOT SENT TO SCHOOL WELL ONLY JUNIOR SCHOOL CAUSE WHEN WE GOT TO BIG SCHOOL WE GOT PICKED ON AND WAS ALWAYS FIGHTING AND THE SCHOOL ALWAYS BLAMED US CAUSE WE WERE GYPSIES, SO ME MUM AND DAD PULLED US OUT. I LEARNT TO READ AND WRITE BY LOOKING AT BOOK AND READING THE PAPERS MY PARENTS ALWAYS GOT.
NOW I AM A MARRIED WOMEN WITH 5 BABIES OF MY OWN. WELL THERE NOT BABIES MY OLDEST SON IS 13. I MAKE THEM ALL GO TO SCHOOL CAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET A GOOD EDUCATION AS THINGS WILL NOT CHANGE FOR US UNTILL WE STAND UP AND CHANGE THEM OURSELVES.
MY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN BULLIED EVEN DASHED TO DEATH, BUT I WOULD NOT LET THEM GIVE UP AT THE SCHOOLS I MADE THE SCHOOLS CHANGE THE WAY THEY WORK TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR ALL GYPSY AND IRISH TRAVELLER CHILDREN. AND I WANT TO DO THE SAME FOR YOU IF YOU NEED ME. WELL THIS IS ME. CANT WAIT TO SEE YOUR STORIES.
MY STORY BLUE BOY
IM BLUE BOY,
I WAS BORN IN A HOSPITAL AND WENT BACK TO ME TRAILER IN THE MEDWAY TOWNS,I AM 13 YEARS OLD. I HAVE 3 BROTHERS AND 1 SISTER. ME GRANDAD IS A ROMANY GYPSY AND ME NAN IS A IRISH TINKER LOL (TRAVELLER) (NAN IM ONLY PLAYING) NO SHE REALLY IS AN IRISH TRAVELLER. AS I GREW UP I SAW LOTS OF THING GOOD AND BAD I SUPOSE, MAINLY DO DO WITH THE GAVERS MOVING US ON AND BEING OUT OF ORDER TO ME DAD AND GRANDAD, BUT I DONT WONT TO DWELL ON THE PAST I ONLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT NOW AND THE FUTER. I GO TO SCHOOL ABOUT 35/40 MILES AWAY FROM WHERE I LIVE AS NO SCHOOL IN CANTERBURY WOULD TAKE GYPSY CHILDREN, BUT MY SCHOOL IS THE BEST, WE HAVE OUR OWN GYPSY CLUB THAT WE GO TO EVERY TUESDAY AND WE TEACH OTHER CHILDREN AND THE TEACHERS ABOUT OUR CULTURE. WE HAVE PEOPLE COME INTO OUR SCHOOL TO OUR GYPSY CLUB THAT WE TEACH ASWELL, WHICH IS COOL BEING ABLE TO EDUCATE AN ADULT, WHAT A LAUGH. I ALSO DO DIVERSITY TRAINING, I GO TO THE KENT TRAINING COLLAGE TO TRAIN THE GAVERS, IVE DONE LOCAL COUNCILS AND THE FIRE BRIGADE, IVE BEEN PUT UP FOR THE KENT YOUTH PARLIMENT WHICH WILL BE GOOD IF I GET ON THERE CAUSE I CAN REALLY TRY TO MAKE A CHANGE FOR ALL US GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS,
I WRITE A BIT OF POETRY AS WELL, THEY HAVE PUT ONE OF MY POEMS IN THE STEVEN LARANCE EDUCATION PACK. AND I WAS SO PROUD. IF YOU GO ON ME GRANDADS WESITE YOU WILL SEE SOME OF MY POEMS ON THERE,
WELL THIS IS A BIT ABOUT ME. IF YOU GO TO LOTS OF CONFERANCES YOU WILL SEE AND MEET ME THERE, I AM GOING TO PUT A CALENDER ON HERE SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT CONFERANCES ARE ABOUT US YOUTH AND TRY AND GO TO THEM TO HAVE YOUR SAY THATS WHERE I STARTED, THERE A GOOD DAY OUT AS WELL. WE ARE JUST PUTTING A PACK TOGETHER IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SCHOOL TO OPEN A GYPSY CLUB, AND I WILL SEND YOU ONE IF YOU SEND ME MUM AN EMAIL AND ASK FOR 1.
BLUE BOY.
THIS IS MY STORY AND I AM 10 YEARS OLD.
