Westway Traveller Project

The Westway Traveller Project is situated underneath a slip road to the A40 at Shepherd’s Bush. The site has been used by Irish Travellers for 30 years. Travellers have been associated with the area for over 150 years.

Travellers continue to be amongst the most marginalised sections of Society. Prevailing attitudes have tended to be discriminatory and have led to the Travellers’ marginsalisation.

There are also inherent risks to children living and playing beneath a slip road. Debris from cars and accidents regularly fall down from above and over 20 years there have been two serious accidents where a lorry and a lorry’s load have crashed down on site. There is also no shelter from the sun during the summer.

In 1997 the Society took over a playgroup run from a temporary shelter on site. With support and funding we now have a permanent portacabin and are able to offer:

• A playgroup for under 8’s
• An after-school homework club for school aged children
• A CLIKC Online computer suite for the whole community providing access to the internet, computer courses and family learning opportunities to Click Online
• Consulting room space for visiting health and housing professionals

Other involvement includes:

• Organising day trips and parties for the children.
• Undertaking advocacy for the community with the local authority which has resulted in a £1 million refurbishment to upgrade basic washing, cooking and toilet facilities.
• Actively promoting better understanding between schools and the community to support Traveller children in their early years education and in helping them to successfully make the transition to secondary education.
• Increasing individual and community self-esteem e.g. by running Mother & Child care courses, enabling Traveller mothers to undertake NVQ training
• Promoting the benefits of community numeracy and literacy.
• Running health awareness courses e.g ‘Fun in the Sun’

For information about Tom Sweeney, a member of the Community, click here.

Making an urban garden

The Carlton TV Trust and Hammersmith & Fulham Oral History Project have made it possible in recent years to brighten up the environment on the Westway Traveller site by the development of murals that celebrate the Travellers’ rich oral and visual tradition. A dramatic mural with visual references to a number of Irish folk stories is the backdrop to the play area and garden at the rear of the playgroup.

After School Homework Project

The After School Homework Project has been made possible by funding from the John Ellerman Foundation, the Irish Youth Foundation and the CLIKC Online programme and comprises two hours teaching a day, during term time.

With support and individually tailored teaching, three students have successfully completed their SATs test and two secondary students were entered for GCSE exams and completed coursework in the homework centre.

Children are queuing to get into the Centre and to make use of facilties and particularly access to the computer suite Hertfordshire Community Project By far, Hertfordshire has provided the majority of adopters assessed and approved by the Society. Hertfordshire is also very well represented amongst our regular supporters.