Clearwater have recently supplied props for a film that is being made about Leonardo De Vinci. This is a 6 year film project so it will be some time before it is screened. We were supprised to recive interest from such a large company that supplies for films for Sky TV and HBO.

Suzanna from F.F.T has wriiten a play called Crystal Vardo. We are helping her by building a stage prop of a wagon to help in the production of this play which will be performed for the first time in Brighton later this year. We will notify you of date and venue.

Southern TV BBC South Today are visiting Clearwater today 03/05/12 to arrange filming around the ‘Parellel Lives’ project. This fits in with thier series on hidden histories in the South. We are near the end of the editing of our film and will soon have a viewing date and venue.

The first of an 8 part series called A Gypsy Life For Me starts this week (Tuesday 15th November) on Sky’s Bio channel at 9pm (Sky 156 and Virgin 242). Throughout this series props such as Gypsy Wagons were supplied Clearwater.

Pictured above Jake Bowers sat on the wagon supplied by The Clearwater Gypsies

Yesterday October 20th Clearwater visited Stow Fair on a beautiful Autumn day. We were doing some filming ready for our hidden histories project were we hope to produce a film about Gypsy and Traveller lives and how they blend in to the local community. The film will be centred around people from Southampton, many of whom were a Stow Fair enjoying the sunshine and catching up with old friends.

The film should be ready by May 2012 and will be available on our website.

On Saturday 8th October Clearwater put on an event in Norwood Park, Lamberth, London. The event was to celebrate the Centenary of Norwood Park. The reason the Gypsies were asked to attend was because the park used to be a woods were Gypsies lived. Many of the roads surrounding the park have association with Gypsies, such as Gypsy Hill and Romany Road. The Gypsy woman Margaret Finch (who also has a road named after her) used to tell the fortunes of Samuel Pepys (the diarist) and Dr. Johnson.

Clearwater supplied a wagon, a fortune teller, square cottage tent, Gypsy musicians Mic and Susie Darling and horse drawn carriage rides. We were also accompanied by F.F.T from Brighton.

This was a successful event enjoyed by all who attended.

Congratulations to Paddy Docherty who won Celebrity Big Brother 08/09/11. The general public have taken Paddy to their hearts, this shows that Gypsies and Travellers are people the same as everyone else. Clearwater has long promoted the sayings ‘ KNOW US BEFORE YOU JUDGE US’ ‘DONT LET YOUR VOICE BE THE PREDUDICE OF OTHERS’

On Saturday August 20th 2011 Clearwater attended the National Final of Travellers Got Talent in the South Bank Centre, London. Sky TV filmed this as part of an 8 part series ‘A Gypsy Life For Me’ to be screened on the Sky Bio Channel (Sky 156/Virgin 242) from November 17th 2011. Clearwater have supplied props such as Gypsy wagons for use in this series.

The competition was won by Patrick Cassidy, 2nd was Riley Smith and 3rd was Georgina Chapman. (Georgina’s Aunt is a regular visitor to Clearwater as she lives near by)

Well Done to all who took part.

Pictured above are the Romany Diamonds, Eastern European Roma who are professional entertainers.

Paddy Docherty an Irish Traveler is taking part in Celebrity Big Brother. We wish him well and hope he remains in the house so that people like Sally Berko can ask the right questions as she did the other day about how Gypsies are in-able to get access to schools etc. The longer Paddy can stay in the house the more chance there is that people will understand the difficulties that effect Gypsies and Travellers throughout the UK in 2011.

                                                Paddy To Win !!!

This is another one of the fine wagons in Ashley’s collection. This is a 1915 George Orton Reading wagon. This is the famous wagon with the Ben-Hur painting in the ceiling. If you think this looks familiar it may be because it was on show in paultons park in Hampshire until the wagon collection was sold off. You may also remember a famous photograph of HRH The Queen Mother walking out of this wagon in 1956. You will probably see this photograph outside every fortune tellers wagon in the country.

Following the press coverage of the Reading, Writing and Romanies project the press release about the project went on to Google news.

Clearwater Gypsies were contacted by a researcher for Channel 4 television asking if we would take part in the new series of ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ we declined the offer as Clearwater Gypsies policy is to take part in events consisting of health care and education or Live News. We do not take part in entertainment programs.

Channel 4 told us the new series will be focusing more on the Roamany Gypsy life and culture .

On Thursday of this week the 28th the team from Clearwater including their planner attended a meeting at the F.F.T offices in Brighton. The Government had sent down two civil servants to explain the changes that the government want to make to the 2006 act which will effect Gypsies and Travellers. If this policy document goes through un-challenged it will cause probably the biggest changes in planning law to effect Gypsies and Travellers in the last 30 years. This will also effect generations to come. We urge all Gypsy and Traveller groups to take part in further hearings. Look on the National Federation Of Gypsy Liaison Groups website which you can find through D.G.L.G www.dglg.org

One of the Gypsy Wagon’s built this year at Clearwater featured on this weeks front page of The West Sussex Gazette. It was pictured in the garden at East Dean near Chichester which is open under the National Garde Scheme on Saturday and Sunday August 6 and 7th 2pm – 5pm.

An evening of white collar

boxing at the Oceana night

club in Southampton.

Featuring many of the local

Gypsy community.

The Government plan cuts to the social welfare ‘Legal Aid’. Because of the disproportionate way it will effect the most needy in societey the ‘National Federation Of Gypsy Liaison Groups’ has a postcard campaign were you can send the pre-written postcard to your local MP.

This is ’Money V Justice’

Postcards are available from N.F.G.L.G or Clearwater Gypsies. Please take part, it may effect you if you want to set up a site on your own land.

The Campaign is supported by Lord Avebury and Baroness Whitaker.

On Saturday 23rd July Tyson Fury won ‘The British and Commonwealth Heavy Weight Title’ from Dereck Chisora at the Wembeley Arena. He now holds two belts. Tyson is from the travelling community.

A taste of People’s day 2011 held in Brighton on 24th June.

Greg and Clearwater Gypsies took part in this interesting event this year. Greg was assisting in publicising the FFT, Friends, Families and Travellers and the work that the FFT does.

Above Chris Whitwell Director of the FFT is interviewed by some of the many press that were at the event about the work of the FFT (Friends Families and Travellers).

Our Mitchell meets and greets the Mayor of Brighton and shows her round a traditional Gypsy Bow Top wagon restored by Greg at Clearwater Gypsies.

Greg takes his turn in front of the camera promoting the FFT of which he is one of the board of trustee’s.

Greg was also promoting the Reading Writing and Romanies Project funded by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

We were all pleased that Gypsies and Travellers were being recognised as an ethnic group.

And finally a group of Dignitaries pose for the camera. You can see that none of these were of Gypsy decent.

Congratulations to Marc Willers on winning the Legal Aid Barrister of the Year award 2011.
Marc who works at Garden Court Chambers in London is the co-author of “Gypsy and Traveller Law” and has worked tirelessly for many year for Gypsies and Travellers to get their homes or land permission passed.

A well deserved award in our opinion and we are pleased to see that he has received this recognision.

Marc has worked with The Clearwater Gypsies on several successful planning cases.