My name is Jerry Hanrahan, I am 11. I went to primary school except for most of the last year.  I’m hoping to go to high school in September. I read the books in our training room at Leeds GATE with my brother Billy crawling and exploring around us! 

Roadside unauthorised encampment by Gypsy and Traveller families is a thorny issue on all sides of the debate.  Gypsy and Traveller families speak of being harassed by continual eviction and loss of their human rights, whilst politicians and media issue soundbites in defence of local communities reportedly invaded by anti-social strangers. Meanwhile the standard ‘zero tolerance’ approach to encampment continues to bite into local budgets without hope of a solution in sight.

On 25^th February 2016 an important conference - Reducing cost and conflict around unauthorised Traveller encampments – challenges and opportunities, will take place at the Resource for London centre on Holloway Road. 

We at Leeds GATE have been taking stock of the recent flooding just before Christmas and the impact it has had on the community. Few can have turned on the TV in the past few weeks and not feel something, whether anxiety for people they know, frustration at the official response in some areas, or encouraged by some community spirited responses.