Are you a member of our travelling community?

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Just imagine the setting:
I was sat in the captains chair with my feet up reading a book and relaxing at the end of a very quiet country lane cul-de-sac.
A police car arrives, turns around and parks opposite.
A young policeman and very pretty WPC come to my open door
"Are you a member of our travelling community sir. We have had a report of travelers arriving?"
No officer, just here for one night.
"That's perfectly OK then sir. Have a good one."
Cue to crack the first cold can of the evening!
 
That’s Very Odd, Isn’t it !...
I’ve Been Lucky in the Respect that I’ve never been Confronted or Asked if I was part of the ‘Travelling Community’...
Thinking about it,,,,If I WAS to be asked I would probably have to say ‘Well Yes’
 
Nesting Zombie said:
That’s Very Odd, Isn’t it !...
I’ve Been Lucky in the Respect that I’ve never been Confronted or Asked if I was part of the ‘Travelling Community’...
Thinking about it,,,,If I WAS to be asked I would probably have to say ‘Well Yes’
Click to expand...
Yes tell them there are another hundred about to arrive !
 
We were visited by a very polite Farm watch PCSO, while wildcamping on a wide unclaimed road.
He explained that he already knew that we weren't ' Travellers ', from the number plate check.
He just had to come, to follow up an enquiry from a local farm.
Evidently there was an invasion of a sports field, a couple of miles away. He could now report back to the farmer that all was OK... Boxes duly ticked.
He confirmed that we were perfectly legal and offending nobody.
We go back there regularly.
I even offered to tarmac his drive.
Jenny told him that he had a lucky face.
 
For us It is the politicians answer

YES and NO !
Yes on that we use the Moho as our home travelling round.
No x3 in that
1 We do have a home
2 Moho is taxed and insured.
3 We pay other taxes as well
Etc
So the sensible answer is no.

If the nice female officer wishes I could show her my Crystall Balls !
 
When I full timed and returned to England, The government departments decided I was of no fixed abode and was classed as a traveller.

Did it benefit me in any way ? No the simple answer accessing doctors and dentists etc was problematic.

As for the police I once wrote the tale of shooting a pigeon for my tea. and sure enough three police cars turned up one I am convinced was armed.

A young policeman approached my van explained I had been spotted with a rifle. Pointed out the gun and pellets kept separate and the pigeon breasts nicely sautéed in the pan with mushroom and red wine..

Same response as Pauls after that, He knew taxed and Insured I wasn't wanted etc, Asked how long I was stopping overnight I replied..Bid me farewell, later in the evening another patrol car but I hope to check I was safe as much as it was to check I wasn't bothering anybody

Channa
 
The powers that Be have clamped down A LOT on Shooting for the Harth now (Well actually for quite a while now).
I have Permission on pockets of Land up & Down the country, but still have to Shuffle within certain parameters as far as the quary that is taken, Time of year, & on some occasions Proof that other means of ‘Pest Control’ has been employed prior to Shooting Ect Ect it can get silly. I must say though so long as you only take what is in season (That’s why I like Muntjac) on Land that you have written permission to be on then your fine, Discharge a Firearm FROM Or Even NEXT to a Public right of way is just asking for trouble!.
 
Nesting Zombie said:
The powers that Be have clamped down A LOT on Shooting for the Harth now (Well actually for quite a while now).
I have Permission on pockets of Land up & Down the country, but still have to Shuffle within certain parameters as far as the quary that is taken, Time of year, & on some occasions Proof that other means of ‘Pest Control’ has been employed prior to Shooting Ect Ect it can get silly. I must say though so long as you only take what is in season (That’s why I like Muntjac) on Land that you have written permission to be on then your fine, Discharge a Firearm FROM Or Even NEXT to a Public right of way is just asking for trouble!.
Click to expand...

About 15 years ago a few friends and I had a small driven pheasant shoot between Bedale and Masham. Our best ‘drive’ had the guns standing on a 4 way road junction waiting for the driven birds to arrive overhead. Never any issues with traffic, they stopped and watched until the drive was over. The local police knew us and never intervened.
God knows what would happen now if we still had the shoot.
I have recently wondered about when I get my next gundog and training the dog with a starter pistol and dummy launcher. I used to use the local park and never had any issues. I would imagine I would have the armed response team in attendance if I did that in the present climate. I need to investigate me thinks.
 
I perhaps should add this appendix to NZs full timing thread. But the "traveller" question is an interesting one,

Returning to the UK considering I had been employed by a UK company paying UK tax and NI on a "letter of assignment" in France. My claim for unemployment benefit ( more stamp paid the motive) was agreed having had to undertake a residency test in Doncaster the DWP taking a great interest as to why I chose Doncaster and had to give explanations. Because I was of no fixed abode they wanted me to sign on daily !! ( happened again in West Yorkshire)

Seeking employment other than on caravan sites extremely difficult again because you have no fixed address, and Had I got myself in bother or alleged bother would be remanded in custody no address to bail me too.

A friend who visits these pages I met up with and is from a travelling family and confirmed for all intents I was a traveller, Hence you can see the advantages that Jagmanxs situation enjoys

In the end , that is how I ended up working on travelling fairs, Now this is the interesting bit.

Not born into a Showman or Traveller family (they consider themselves separate) I was always classed as an outsider had my daughter been born on the fairs she would be classed as a showman. This was explained by my boss who is a showman but traveller background and He gets prejudice. So the settled community distanced my identity ,The showmen did and the government also. I guess a bit of an identity crisis.

So life is not all milk and honey on the road, but not that challenging I wouldn't do it all over again. If I had a partner I would seriously have to give thing some thought having experienced one or two downsides

Channa
 
I ‘Think’ (Obviously not sure) that so long as you are Parked Legally & Respecfully In the Vehicle that is Road Legal, Registered at an address, That Hopefully is the same as your Drivers Licence, Log Book & Insurance, Together with any Bank & Credit Cards held, & of course Have No live current Warrants on you The Police Don’t ‘Really’ care,,,If you Are Up to date on Taxes & NI contributions & can justify your expenditure over a time scale if required Then Tax & Government Don’t ‘Really’ Care.
So you just have to look out for the Locals & Dog Walkers At your Overnight Park up then !.
 
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I was at a local park yesterday which has been invaded by the travelling community,as a full-timer
with no fixed abode then I guess I have the right to remove padlocks and help myself to any green space I fancy?
Im all for minority groups having equal rights,but really don't understand how UK law seems to sanction these groups,to the detriment of others.
 
Asterix said:
I was at a local park yesterday which has been invaded by the travelling community,as a full-timer
with no fixed abode then I guess I have the right to remove padlocks and help myself to any green space I fancy?
Im all for minority groups having equal rights,but really don't understand how UK law seems to sanction these groups,to the detriment of others.
Click to expand...

Because certain groups of folks have some magical 'status'

I really couldn't care less how someone wants to live their life (having lived on a narrow boat in the past for the thick end of 10 years)
We are all hopefully entitled to make our own grown up decisions like that...
However we 'should' still behave in a civilised way as we all try to get along together....
There are undoubtedly certain elements of the traveller society that are frankly incapable of managing to behave in a civilised way as there undoubtedly certain elements of our 'society'

IF we wish to be considered not to be tarred with the grey waste/litter leaving/toilette cassette emptying/inconsiderate parking oiks that are proliferate....

Then we also need to understand that there is a world of difference between the genuine 'Travellers/Romany/Gypsy' folks and the ones that would frankly put a swarm of radioactive locusts to shame with the sheer carnage and devastation they leave behind.

Labels are a nasty thing IF you get one that you frankly don't deserve.

Councils etc are sadly terrified of getting things wrong as soon as certain cards are played.
 
What would happen to me if i were stopped on mainland in van with my accent.:scared::lol-053::lol-053::lol-053:
 
Peteabix said:
Just imagine the setting:
I was sat in the captains chair with my feet up reading a book and relaxing at the end of a very quiet country lane cul-de-sac.
A police car arrives, turns around and parks opposite.
A young policeman and very pretty WPC come to my open door
"Are you a member of our travelling community sir. We have had a report of travelers arriving?"
No officer, just here for one night.
"That's perfectly OK then sir. Have a good one."
Cue to crack the first cold can of the evening!
Click to expand...

For the benefit of our lady readers , surely you should tell us if the 'young policeman' was pleasing to the eye also
 
alcam said:
For the benefit of our lady readers , surely you should tell us if the 'young policeman' was pleasing to the eye also
Click to expand...
Wemen diny care about looks as long as you have a big one,wallet/van that is before you all shout disgusting.:wacko:
 
Years ago, two Austrian couples who were friends of my parents, came to the UK on a touring holiday.
Each couple were travelling in their own (very nice!) Hymer camper vans.

They called in at my parents on their way back down from touring Scotland. I remember coming in the house and seeing lots of strange knitted woollen underwear hanging up in the kitchen to dry! (it had been raining almost non-stop since they'd arrived in the country).

They'd had a horrendous time in Scotland with people being extremely rude to them and they couldn't understand why.
The two women were usually wearing headscarves and, together with their strongly accented English, my Dad deduced they must have been been taken for gypsies.

Lots of people are very quick to judge all sorts of books by the cover only :)
 
Headscarves are fine in Scotland and there accents wouldn’t have been the problem. Must have been the wet woolly Arran-knit knickers that done the damage😂😂
 
If I remember correctly it was the Blair years which gave gypsy's human Wright's which enabled largley Irish traveling tugging businesses to wreck things for the rest of us.ive seen it for myself , rubbish left by the ton, infact 80 ton not far from me in hull.of course the general public and farmers are weary when a motorhome turns up, strange though in it how a motorhome is confused or associated with a caravan?
 
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