Gypsy Roma Traveller Leeds
The permanent site of the Gypsy Roma Traveller Communities
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Useful information
Gypsy Council
The Gypsy Council (of whom David Essex is Patron) is involved in a wide spectrum of support and liaison work, supporting Gypsy families in planning applications and their fight for decent legal places to live. Read more about the organisation and maybe consider joining.
Roll Up, Roll Up
Circus Travellers
Circuses visit Leeds from all over the world. The circus is a tradition and has its own families that have been born into this tradition, similar to Showpeople. Many families specialise in particular skills but also contribute to the whole performance by taking on a variety of roles.
Children have to start when they are young to develop the demanding skills necessary for performing. Circuses are made up of many different acts, often from around the world, and these may come together for certain tours, whilst others may be part of the extended family of that circus and travel with them all the time.
History
For lots of info on circuses and many more links visit Peanut the Clown's website. Peanut, one of the premier circus clowns in the UK with over twenty year's professional experience, is the founder of Leeds Children's Circus, a circus school for children.
Circus was born on the south side of Westminster Bridge (on land now owned by St Thomas' Hospital) in 1768. Philip Astley (1742-1814) was a gifted horseman, and when he retired from the army he became an equestrian trick rider and performed at the pleasure-gardens in London. Astley opened his riding school just across the river in 1768. Here he held a school in the mornings, and performed trick riding in the afternoons. By 1772 The Circus needed to add some variety, so he hired jugglers, acrobats, tightrope walkers and clowns, inventing the format of the modern-day circus. So circus spread from this small ring to Russia and the court of Catherine the Great, to the rest of Europe and to America.
For information about everything to do with circuses see the links at the bottom of this page.
Around the site
Traveller Post
Read copies of Traveller Post, the magazine for Travellers Everywhere produced by the Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service in Leeds.
Circus Life
An article taken from the second issue of the Travellers Post published by the Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service, details life as a circus Traveller.
For more circus information
www.circusworldmuseum.com
America's circus museum is open year round for circus fans seeking a glimpse into the long and storied past of the American circus. The museum's massive collections are a treasure trove of American circus history.
www.circusweb.com
This site is dedicated to providing information about the circus to the general public as well as to organizations sponsoring circuses and circuses themselves.
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