Theme: Gypsy, Roma, Traveller
Stow-on-the-Wold Fair
The horse fair at Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire takes place in May and October each year. It is centuries old, originally starting as a hiring fair in the Middle Ages where farm workers would be employed for the coming year.
Nowadays it is mainly a horse fair organised and run by Gypsy Travellers. Families arrive up to a week before the fair day, always a Thursday, to meet old friends and relations. On fair day, horses are displayed pulling trotting carts up and down the road and deals are struck. On the field stalls sell a variety of goods and traditional crafts are demonstrated. Crowds of people, both Traveller and non-Traveller flock to the fair for an enjoyable day out.
Despite the age of the fair there remains a lack of local knowledge about what happens there, why people attend and why it is so important to many Traveller families. In the past five years the Traveller Education Team has worked closely with Stow Primary School in order to break down any mystery about this twice-yearly event. Encouraging Traveller storytellers, artists and representatives into the school during the week is an on-going activity and this year Vera Norwood (previously Town Mayor and Member of the Gypsy Council) came into the Primary School to see work that the children had done based around the fair.
The week began with two workshops led by the Traveller Education Team using materials bought at the fair including a childŐs dress, various items of china including Royal Doulton as well as horse paraphernalia and photographs. The children were encouraged to touch the objects and ask questions. A main thrust of the work is to illustrate the normality of the objects and the similarities with objects from the childrenŐs own lives. Traveller children in the classes enjoyed having their own culture reflected in the display and were experts on the day.
The classes then made their own versions of Doulton plates using paper-plates and pepper pots and made wagons using card and paint. Far from romanticising or making Travellers exotic to the children the session emphasised the need to see all people as the same, just with differing beliefs or ways of life.
Karen Steger
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