Some really excellent points on this post - about the scurge of 'normal' people.

Well i'm off to join mini and grow facial hair. Lets face it they are ALL different. We shouldn't judge because people obviously have different experiences. And yes lots of home owners dump and flytip and drop litter. I think the real question is 'what do we think about people who cause a nuisance, fight on the streets and dump rubbish( be it a crisp packet or bath)?'
Personally i quite fancy the lifestyle of a romany. However i would be clean, recycle, care for my animals and probably be much the same as i am now.

Hi, genuien Romanies are very clean spotless in fact they have lots of tradtions and customs to do with cleanleness ,and they do look after the animals you only have to go to Appleby Fair to see what good condition their horses are in.
Sadley as I said before the "New Age Travellers " give the Roma bad name.
And most of sococity dump them all togaeather, when this is very wrong.
What about house dewlllers who use thier back gardens to dump all their rubbish , dont work, and there fore dont pay taxes, there are hundreds of "Scroungers " all over the world!
Most of them not Romanies as they are an ethnic minority~ folk nead to realise the differance,between them and Travellers.

Wow, this thread is here again.

I am a Romany - Gypsy - Traveller - whatever you want to call me...
I live on a counsil owned site, I look after animals, heck I have animals that we are not known for looking after or keeping - rabbits and guinea pigs...

But my parents work - I work - I do not live in a country lane, I do not get in any of the villagers way, I have never stopped by in a tesco car park, never stolen anything in my life, I go camping just like any other person here, but I get free holidays slugging my gutts out for a slave driver of a farmer, my brothers are in school, my sisters get a Travellers teacher come and give them projects, I AM English, and belive me thats where the differance lays between Travellers, the Irish are the one thats pull on cricket pitch`s and play grounds, we want to buy our own land and do things proper, they leave a ton of mess, we are very clean people, we have a seperat thing of every thing, animals are all as one, we do not eat, wash, anything after them. Bathroom is as one, and then kitchen is as one. If any of yous visited, you will have to use the non family facilitys. I have to go back and look at the replys again, I forgot what else I wanted to say.
If we was coming to visit you, we would not eat, drink, or use your toilets, because to us, YOU are the dirty ones.

good to hear both side ..many thanks

A friend of mine thinks exactly the same. Her whole family were travellers and eventually settled down in a house. She was probably cleaner than most people that have lived in houses all thier lives.

Both my partner and I have had some bad experiences of New age travellers, or Tinkers as I know them as. They have done nothing but leave a trail of destruction behind them. Some tried to settle in our field until the OH went out with a shotgun and told them to move on. After several words, they soon believed that he wasn't messing about when he shot a round into the air and asked which one wanted to have a go first

I cant stand them types either, while strawberry picking last year for a new farmer, it was not Travellers but all old people. My parents were the only people with kids - and they have 6 but we were liked very much. Then this young hippy couple pulls in with a massive blue bus - They only had one little boy, but because they looked the way they did, no one liked them and they pulled off after only 2 days.

We currantly have irish pulled across the road from us at the mo - trying to get permission.

It's just unfortunate that Tinkers give all other travellers a bad name, they're all tarred with the same brush

I have to agree with one of the points being made - mess made by the rest of us. We went to our local park last night and the amount of rubbish lying around the bins and car parks was absolutely disgusting. Take away cartons and wrappers, cans, magazines, food wrappers ... the rats must have a grand old time.

And I mentioned car racing in my previous post - well we walked in the woods where there are not only other people and dogs, but deer, squirrels, etc. and wild flowers and there was a kid on one of these mini bikes racing up and down and a father on a quad bike with his son. Then three more mini bikes went zooming along the path by the lakes. And nobody does a thing about it. There are groups of kids on these bikes flying around the pavements where my parents live too and they're rude with it if you don't jump out of their way- they shouldn't even be on the pavement!

I know of a family of travalers who live next door to some very good friends of ours. They are now living in a house but only since her husband died 4yr ago, her older children are still travalers on static sites, they do move between severl sites but this is as they have brothers on each site. I have met nearl all the family ( mum and 10 children age 25-5yrs) I cant fault the family, they will do anything for you just dont cross them as they stick together. The only prob they have found since being sited in the house is that the local drug dealer doesnt like them but apart from that you couldnt wish for better neighbours.

They them selfs would tell you that the "new" travalers give them the bad name for leaving all there rubbish ect when they move on.