Today, we are proud to release our 2021 Annual Report. The report, which can be seen in full here, outlines our key activities and achievements over the past year from across our work.
Addressing the past year’s highs and lows, Sarah Mann, Director at Friends, Families and Travellers said:
We are coming to the end of another period of difficult and uncertain circumstances. We continue to be amazed at the resilience and fighting spirit that everyone has shown during what continues to be one of the toughest periods in our lifetimes.
It’s no secret that the day-to-day difficulties experienced by Gypsy and Traveller people were made significantly harder by the pandemic.
At FFT, the heart of our work continues to be a practical advocacy and legal support service to Gypsy and Traveller communities across the UK, pushing to get a fair deal and protect the nomadic way of life. In the midst of these challenges, our work has never been more needed. This year, we have been able to provide support to Gypsy and Traveller people on over 3500 issues ranging from health to homelessness, education to financial inclusion and discrimination to employment.
Continuing to pursue our Vision for Change, our work has focused on our key areas of accommodation, health, education and discrimination.
One of our proudest moments this year has been our success in the High Court alongside our friends at London Gypsies and Travellers and the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups and our legal representatives from Garden Court Chambers and Community Law Partnership. Together, we acted as interveners in a David and Goliath case which successfully challenged the continued use of discriminatory anti-Traveller injunctions across England.
However, the year has been filled with wins both big and small. While we’re very proud of the very public wins like supporting over 5,600 people to write to their MPs and oppose the Policing Bill, behind the scenes we see lots of very small wins every day in our casework and outreach work – from supporting a young person into education or giving an individual the tools to challenge discrimination.
Now, the criminalisation of trespass looms ever closer. As the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is now back in Parliament for the last of its readings, it is more important than ever that we stand united.
Criminalising trespass may effectively render the travelling way of life impossible, but we know that this will not happen without a fight from FFT, Gypsy and Traveller people and their allies.
Once again, we have been overwhelmed by the amount of solidarity and support which we have received this past year. I cannot thank our funders, trustees, staff members, volunteer team, partners and supporters enough for making our work possible.
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Notes for Editor
About Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT)
Friends, Families and Travellers is a leading national charity that works to end racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and to protect the right to pursue a nomadic way of life.
Media Contact
Sami McLaren, Communications Officer
Tel: 07436 228910 Email:Â sami@gypsy-traveller.org
Relevant Resources
‘Annual Report 2021’. October 2021. View report.
‘Our Vision for Change: Strategic Plan 2019-2022’. November 2019. View file.
