Celebrate Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month

The gypsy community in Salford will be celebrating its heritage this month.

June is Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month and we will be marking the occasion with a special event at Duchy Road Caravan Park.

Salix Homes has teamed up with partner agencies to host a celebration event at the gyspy siteon Thursday June 25, which will focus around traditional gypsy and traveller cuisine.

The event will include cooking traditional foods such as Irish and gypsy stews and flat breads on an open fire which has been central to the traveller way of life for centuries.

Whilst on the road, gypsies and travellers would live off the land, finding what they could to sustain themselves and their families. Common foods included root vegetables, fowl, rabbits and birds cooked as a one pot meal in kettle pans on the fire.

These traditional meals were healthy, economical and brought the whole community together as they sang and told stories around the fire.

The event will alsosee the launch ofour ‘Communities Cooking Together Project’ at thegypsy site which will run for six weeks encouragingpeople to cook more healthily on a regular basis, using the recipes and skills that have been passed down for generations.

Live traditional Irish music and children’s activities will also be part of the celebrations on the day, which will run from 3pm – 6pm.

Theevent is being organised by theSalford Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) in partnership with Salix Homes, the Youth Service, Health Improvement Team, Belvedere Children’s Centre, Salix Homes and Fare Share.