National Lottery funding will increase educational opportunities for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families

Northumbria University has been awarded £245,061 by The National Lottery Community Fund to establish the first North East and Cumbria Centre for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities.

The project will provide safe, trusted spaces in which members of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities from across the North East and Cumbria can come together, learn and support one another, as well as challenge the racism and prejudice they often experience in society and when accessing public services.

Building upon a successful pilot with Darlington Traveller Education Service, the Northumbria project will involve the delivery of outreach activities for young people and their families across the North East and Cumbria, enabling them to learn new skills in areas including creative arts, sport and technology.

It will provide tailored leadership training, volunteering, careers advice and employment pathways and create hub sites where communities can build trust and networks, celebrate their cultures and feel empowered to have a voice. CPD training will also be developed to enable professionals and the wider community to address structural barriers and foster inclusive environments in future practice.

Roseann Black, Project Coordinator and Northumbria graduate with Gypsy and Traveller heritage, explained: “Members of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities often experience barriers in educational settings which prevent them from realising their potential, including bullying, discrimination and poor understanding and recognition of their diverse cultures.

“Research suggests there are only an estimated average of 200 members of the communities in higher education across the UK at any one time, which makes this investment in the North East and Cumbria all the more invaluable in helping to change that picture by expanding support.”

The project forms part of Northumbria’s wider commitment to widening participation in higher education and supporting social mobility, including the University’s formal commitment as a signatory of the GTRSB into Higher Education Pledge. The pledge is a national framework designed to support Gypsies, Travellers, Roma, Showmen and Boaters into and within higher education.

Northumbria researchers, including Dr Natalie Forster from the School of Communities and Education, have worked on research which explores the experiences of marginalised communities, such as GTRSB individuals, in education and healthcare settings. The University has also delivered awareness training for staff and co-produced creative projects with community members, including a dedicated radio broadcast showcasing stories and spoken word.

Dr Forster said: “With the support of The National Lottery Community Fund, the North East and Cumbria Centre for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities seeks to enable young people and their families to develop new and existing skills and interests, identify and celebrate their strengths, and work towards their own personal ambitions.”

Professor Joanne Atkinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Northumbria University, said: "We are very grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for supporting this project, which will enable communities in our region to thrive. At Northumbria University, we are committed to unlocking potential and changing lives through education. This outreach project will support our role in driving social mobility and spreading opportunity across the region, by exposing young people and their families to a range of educational options and pathways.”

The support of the National Lottery forms part of Northumbria University’s Higher Education Without Barriers campaign which has raised over £5.5 million to improve access for under-represented groups since it was launched in 2022.

Ceri McGhee, Funding Manager at The National Lottery Community Fund said: “We are delighted to support the first North East Centre for Gypsy, Roma & Traveller communities. This project will create meaningful opportunities for people to build confidence, improve wellbeing and develop valuable skills.

“It’s all made possible thanks to National Lottery players. We look forward to seeing the impact of this project over the next three years, as it promotes cultural understanding and builds stronger, more connected communities.”

Celebrating Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in literature

To mark the launch of the project, Northumbria University will host Our Stories Matter on Wednesday 17 June 2026, from 12:30pm to 4pm, at Newcastle City Campus. The free event celebrates Gypsy, Roma and Traveller stories, authors and the power of visibility in literature, bringing together writers, cultural advocates, academics and community members for an afternoon of readings, discussions and networking.

Founded and led by Suzanah Buckland, author of Lady and the Romany Rye and ambassador of the Our Stories Matter movement, the event features a compelling line-up of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller voices:

•  Richard O’Neill MBE — acclaimed storyteller, educator and author based in the North of England, whose Romani heritage deeply informs his work promoting inclusion and community cohesion. Recipient of the National Literacy Hero award and a Royal Literary Society Award.

•  Billy Welch — respected Romani community spokesperson and long-standing organiser of the historic Appleby Horse Fair, who has spent decades preserving Romani traditions and cultural identity.

•  James Botton-Dolan — Romany poet, memoirist and filmmaker, and author of A Rose in a Mist: A Mist in a Rose, whose work explores identity, mysticism and the emotional inheritance of a travelling childhood.

•  Gentylia Lee — Romany Gypsy cultural advocate, author of The Mystery in Being a Gypsy and Co-Director of the Women’s Romany-Gypsy Empowerment Network (WREN).

•  Valerie Harris — daughter of the late Eli Frankham, renowned Romany Gypsy poet and member of the Romany Guild, who will read in her father’s memory.

•  Allison Hulmes — Welsh Romani social work academic at Swansea University, activist for Romani rights and co-founder of the Romani and Traveller Social Work Association.

Find out more and reserve your space for the free event here.