Gypsy Roma Traveller Leeds

The permanent site of the Gypsy Roma Traveller Communities

Around the site

Seven Weeks of Childhood

If your computer has speakers you will be able to enjoy Michael Reeves reading from Johnny Connors' "Seven weeks of Childhood - An Autobiography".

The story comprises part of Jeremy Sandford's Compilation 'Gypsies'. The entire reading is over 90 minutes and is cut here into 10 parts.

Listen

Early year reading

Bookstart

Bringing Books and Babies Together

The bringing together of books and babies at an early age is currently happening for Traveller families in Leeds as a result of the Bookstart scheme.

Bookstart is a national scheme offering free books to every child and advice to every parent. It encourages parents and carers to share books with children from a very early age. It is based on the belief that it's never too soon to share books with babies and that children introduced to books at an early age start school with an advantage, that can last throughout their life.

Leeds Traveller Education Service and the Library and Information Service are working in partnership to ensure that every pre-school child on the permanent Traveller sites in Leeds and the roadside Traveller sites receive a free Bookstart pack. The packs contain two high quality baby books, a nursery rhyme placemat, advice and information about the benefits of sharing books at this age and an invitation to join the local library. The packs are distributed via the pre-school team - Saskia, Sue and Indi, Sarah the health visitor and through Pauline - the family outreach worker who distributes the pack at the roadside.

Plans are underway for Leeds Traveller Education Service and the Library and Information Service to work closely together in order to improve access for Traveller families to opportunities and resources available through the library service.For more information contact:

Sue Gold - Travellers Teacher

0113 274 8050

Lyndsay Hicks - Bookstart/Early Years Co-ordinator

0113 214 3311

Listen to stories

Dragonory

An audio CD of seven stories called Dragonory has been specially prepared by Jess Smith the Scottish Storyteller for the Travellers Storytelling Project.

The CD is available to buy from the Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service.

Listen to one of stories to whet your appetite.

Listen

Also read about

Books

It's by no means a complete list, but on this page in the Culture Section you'll find some books that we feel we can recommend for more in depth study or interest.

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