Written by Simon Bees from St Nicholas North Bradley & St Thomas Southwick and a part of the Support Team to, Revd Jonathan Herbert, the diocesan Chaplain to Gypsies and Travellers.
“My mother said I never should,
Play with gypsies in the wood.”
So went the song that was commonly sung to children when I was a youth. Growing up in the post-war years, Romany people and Irish Travellers may have lived on the fringes of society but were a much more familiar sight than they are today.
It's true to say there was a common fear of Travellers and the rumours of the curses they could put upon you. As travelling people, their caravans would park on the common or in nearby woodland from time to time where Romany women would hawk their crafts of posies of flowers or wooden clothes pegs, whilst the male Tinkers offered to do manual work for the local people.
I knew nothing of such curses, and as such, made friends with a traveller boy who lived on a residential Gypsy site on the edge of our largely middleclass community. The Romany boy proved to be a good playmate and I soon invited him to Sunday School – of which he knew nothing – but readily agreed to attend.
Arriving on a Sunday afternoon at the Parish Church, the day’s class was to be taken by the parishes Rector himself. He was a friendly, familiar figure in the village who was forever dressed in the traditional soutane and spoke with a distinctly posh accent. It was not long before he observed there was a stranger in our midst.
“And where do you come from!?” he said to my dismay, humiliating the young man in front of the school. “Who are you… you’re not one of us?”
At last the Sunday School teacher whispered: “His settlement is in the parish.”
To say the very least, he was not made welcome. The young man was snubbed on account of his ethnicity and the way he was dressed. Embarrassed and beside myself with shame that a pastor of the Church could behave in such a way, I offered an apology to the lad and was met with surprising response: “Oh, don’t worry. This often happens.”
I never saw the young man again.
Much middle-class ethnocentricity and prejudice has flowed under the bridge since then however, and chaplains to Romany Travellers preach the Gospel and give pastoral care throughout the Church without prejudice. Upon recalling this unhappy incident much later on in my life, I had the opportunity to work with one such chaplain and act as an advocate on secular issues – and continue to do so today where I sit on the Support Team for this type of ministry.
Just before Christmas I accompanied the Vicar on a pastoral visit to a Traveller site on the edge of our beautiful parish. Using my skills of engagement, we were gratefully received by members of the community and stood testament to the fact that we are all God’s children.
So I ask you, do befriend Travellers in local residential parks and if travellers park up on a site near you, visit them, let them know that they are welcome, and invite them to them into your church.