By Lisa, Tabby, and Chantelle Mentors Cathy and Tracy

There are many different ethnic groups within the gypsy and travelling communities English Gypsies Irish Travellers Scottish Travellers Welsh Kale New Age Travellers Showmen Circus Bargees We are all from different backgrounds living in Leicestershire We live by the roadside, bricks and mortar, sites and yards

Working with STAR on a one to one basis for a while. Our Housing Related Support Worker (Cathy) asked us separately about our ideas (informal consultation) and if we would like to get involved. The tender bid was written and submitted with STAR and Soft-touch (Partnerships). We attended an informal lunch at the MATU to learn more about the funding/project, meet each other and Tracy.

Learning to cope with everyday tasks independently including letters, over the phone, face to face and appointments Communication Learning how to keep you and yours safe when either living on the roadside, on sites or in bricks and mortar Stay Safe Learning the different drugs, recognising them, identifying paraphernalia, strengths of alcohol, units, services and where to get help Health and Well-being

Learning how to get the most out of your income, gaining a better understanding of how utility companies work, personal budgets and expenditure Managing Money and Budget Skills Learning about the benefit system, ensuring you get the correct entitlement, introduction to the changes in the welfare system Welfare Benefits Learning about recycling rules, waste collection, trailer insurance, horse licences Environmental issues

Calendars- to help with appointments and letters Budget planners- to help with budget planning Identification labels- to help with remembering important details We also had things like medication kits, leaflets, alarms, fire safety information

As a group we met Jen at Soft-touch our creative arts partners. She helped us design the practical toolkits for the project, She taught us how to use different creative techniques, (decoupage), We used different materials (tissue paper, magazines) And made our ideas happen

Cupcakes design Traditional design Designer labels

Many people find remembering personal details difficult ( especially if you cant read or write ) National insurance number Date of Birth Medical issues/treatments Pin numbers So having all this information in one place thats close by is extremely important. Its needed in most areas of life, benefits, housing, health etc.

Living on a budget is hard for all of us: Especially if you are on a low income. Or you cant read or write. Or find understanding utility bills hard Our budget planner sets out a weekly/fortnightly/monthly budget with specific outgoings on, so people can work out a plan for managing their money

We discussed and designed our ideas for the toolkits. Our individual prototypes were completed and we were ready to go into production. So we went to meet our printers: Flex-press We met Steve Discussed our ideas for the calendar Saw some of their other designs and projects Had a tour of the factory and met some of the staff

We all did individual evaluation on the training and art sessions, and the business meetings, We did blogs or written evaluations We took loads of photos Every training module finished we received a certificate. We all have a copy of all the training packs- leaflets, pens, balls for the purse, stickers for the windows- emergency first aids, Cathy and Tracy completed diary session returns for our funders

We have Developed a mentor group for Housing Related Support Worked with Soft-touch and STAR to make practical toolkits around housing related support (which are available for other organisations to use/purchase) Developed 6 session training programme (which is available for other organisations to use/ loan/ purchase) Which means we have Developed Peer mentors within organisation and co production continues to embed itself. Improved access to information and advice regarding housing, health & social care issues Strengthening of partnerships with existing partners and development of new partnerships Greater awareness amongst wider stakeholders of challenges and barriers faced by gypsy traveller community with housing and housing support

Worked as a group Met new people (soft-touch, STAR, Flex-press, trainers) Learnt new skills (reading, research, creative arts, business meetings, training, designing) Increased confidence Increased self esteem Tackled isolation (visits each week) Fun/laugh/chatting Enjoyed each session Visited Stow Horse Fair Access to creative arts course