Gypsy, Roma and Travellers

Inter-agency team

We support the Gypsy, Roma and Travellers (GRT) community. Find out about us in the inter-agency support team leaflet (pdf, 659KB) (opens new window)

We also have an easy to read website for the GRT community.

We manage the city's two sites and are responsible for the management and monitoring of all unauthorised encampments on local authority owned land.

Bristol's Travellers sites

We have two sites in Bristol.

Ashton Vale 

Our permanent site has 12 pitches with a mixture of English Gypsies and Irish Travellers. The site is owned by Bristol City Council and managed by Elim Housing. 

Some residents move away for the spring and summer for work purposes but come back for the autumn and winter months. This site is for residency twelve months a year.

Lawrence Weston

Our transit site has 20 pitches. It's used for Gypsies and Travellers moving to and from Bristol for work purposes only.

This site saves on costs of evictions, illegal or unauthorised encampments and is a safe place to stay while looking for work.

You can stay for up to three months at a time only.

There can be as little as one family or as many as twenty families staying at any one time.

Site application forms

• Permanent Residential Pitch application form explanatory notes (word doc, 71KB) (opens new window)
• Residential Pitch Application Form (word doc, 208KB) (opens new window)
• Residential Gypsy Traveller Site health and support needs form (word doc, 161KB) (opens new window)
• Transit gypsy site application form Kingsweston Lane (word doc, 111KB) (opens new window)

Gypsy and Traveller drop-in sessions

• Transit Site drop-in (pdf, 227KB) (opens new window) (pdf, 227KB) (opens new window)
• Permanent site drop-in and Forest School (pdf, 268KB) (opens new window) (pdf, 268KB) (opens new window)

Gypsy, Roma, Traveller service directories

• Gypsy, Roma, Traveller - Bristol directory (pdf, 4MB) (opens new window) (pdf, 4MB) (opens new window)
• Friends, Family, Travellers Service Directory: 01273 234 777
• FFT, BCC, Health watch I need extra health cards  (pdf, 238KB) (opens new window) (pdf, 238KB) (opens new window)

Accommodation and welfare assessment

• Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Accommodation Assessment (pdf, 1.1MB) (opens new window)  (South Gloucestershire and Bristol City councils, 2014)
• Unauthorised encampment request form for welfare needs and personal circumstances information (word doc, 149KB) (opens new window)

Housing: useful contacts

• HomeChoice Bristol: social housing applications, 0117 922 2400
• Bristol City Council planning department: 0117 352 5009
• Bristol City council tenancy relations: 0117 914 1206/7

Housing: websites

• Information and advice on sites by the Shelter charity
• Information and advice on sites by FFT traveller organisation
• Planning Aid Helpline: 0870 850 9807

Education

• Find a childcare provider
• Guidance for schools with GRT pupils  (pdf, 428KB) (opens new window)
• Barriers to Accessing Education  (pdf, 471KB) (opens new window)
• Support for Early Years outreach practictioners  (pdf, 706KB) (opens new window)
• Children missing education

Work, benefits and welfare advice

• Work Licensing Team, 0117 914 2500
• Council Tax, 0117 922 2900
• Citizens Advice Bristol, 03444 111444
• Pedlar’s Certificate  licensing@bristol.gov.uk, 0117 914 2500
• Welfare rights and money advice service

Advocacy and awareness raising resource

• Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain, 0145 422889
• Avon and Bristol Law Centre, 0117 924 8662
• National Bargee Travellers Association, 0118 321 4128
• Free cultural training and open referral process (pdf, 192KB) (opens new window)

Safeguarding and social support:

• First Response. 0117 903 6444
• Victim Support for victims or witnesses. 0845 303 0900 / 0117 947 3070.
• BAVA Victim Support for Family Violence
• Women’s Aid 0808 200 0247

Traveller Support Services in neighbouring authorities:

• Cambridge City Council 01223 457000 and Cambridgeshire County Traveller Liaison: 0345 045 5200.
• Cardiff County Council.
• Coventry City Council 0500 834 333.
• Essex County Council 0845 603 7624.
• Leeds Council City Council 0113 247 5493 or 0113 395 1102.
• North Somerset Council.
• South Gloucestershire Council 01454 868009.
• Warwickshire County Council 01926 418033.

Myth busters

Gypsies and Travellers contribute to society through involvement in many spheres of activity and live by the same rules as everyone else. However, there are many myths about them in the media.

We've prepared a booklet (pdf, 476KB) (opens new window) (pdf, 476KB) (opens new window)  and leaflet (pdf, 193KB) (opens new window) (pdf, 193KB) (opens new window) in partnership with a group of Gypsies and Travellers to provide a more accurate picture of their lives and to promote better relationships with settled people.