After all the hoohaa in recent weeks about Strawberry Fair and the worries about people spoiling the day last weekend when the alternative ‘Raspberry Fair’ took place it was refreshing to visit the Big Fat Gypsy Festival at Milton County Park this weekend.

David went along on the Saturday afternoon and enjoyed very much what he expected. David said: ‘I don’t want to be guilty of stereotyping but it was just what I had always imagined, from a very early age, what a gypsy event would be like. There were traditional caravans, more modern ones in immaculate conditions, lots of children, horses and a fortune teller.’

It was a sunny afternoon so it was easy for it be a happy event but the Country Park presented plenty of space and allowed local people and the gypsy visitors to mix easily. Although the event was billed as an East Anglian event David spoke to gypsies from Ireland and was told that people had come from across Europe.

Gypsies are of course just a part of the ‘travelling community’. Click here for more information about the community.

In Cambridgeshire Travellers represent the largest minority ethnic group and are an important part of its economy. Ormiston is the biggest children’s charity in the East of England and worls closely with Travellers in Cambridgeshire. Click herefor a copy of a recent report.