Leeds GATE

📣Meet our Bradford team leaders Kathleenann and Linda💚 If you're a Bradford member or have questions around youth work or health, these two are your women.

To a lot of our members their faces will be very familiar. Both have worked in other roles over the years as Youth Worker and Health Access so have lots of experience advocating on issues that matter most to members.

"I'm happy to be joining Kathleenann as Team Leaders for Bradford, has a proud Bradfordian myself, I look forward to enabling our members in achieve their goals and improving Gypsy and Traveller lives in Bradford." - Linda

"I feel honoured to take on the new Bradford team leader role, I looking foward to start my new role and ready to face the challenges I have yet to face" - Kathleenann

Congratulations to them both on sharing this new role!

Our exhibition Dreams and Songs to Sing with Cath Muldowney Photography at Cartwright Hall Gallery Bradford Museums and Galleries is open until September 8th.

💚📸Looking for something to do this summer holidays?

Photos, stories, objects and family activities free for all open Tuesday - Sunday.
Info here: https://bradfordmuseums.org/event/dreams-and-songs-to-sing/

This exhibition is free for everyone😃

It's important to acknowledge events over the last week in Harehills in our home city of Leeds. Community members and organisations are working hard to pick up the pieces and we hold the Harehills community in our thoughts.

We're an organisation founded by and for English Gypsy and Irish Traveller communities. Whilst not being a direct provider for Roma people, we stand in solidarity with them and their struggles. Over the years we have advocated for Roma specific provision and inclusion across West Yorkshire.

Responses across to the board show the need for more public awareness and understanding around the distinct heritage, culture, strengths and needs of the Roma community. On this topic, please listen to and reach out to Roma community organisations. Follow Roma Support Group and read their statement here on the events here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/orfwwSSGJnHxM7hZ/

Announcing.... Leeds GATE Healthy Holidays 2024! ☀️ Starts July 29th!

Take a look at what's on throughout summer...

Four weeks of COMPLETELY FREE summer fun for Gypsy and Traveller youth in Leeds aged between 5 and 16.

If you would like to get involved or want more information listen to our video and speak to Senior Youth Worker Grace at the office number or at our building.

Contact us: 0113 240 2444

Introducing our new Advocate for Leeds! A really important role at Leeds GATE.💚

"Hi I'm Darren O’Connell the new Advocate for Leeds GATE covering the Leeds area. I hope to meet many of you soon to support you through issues like benefits, housing, help with form filling, and much more through personal appointments, Advocacy Drop-In on Tuesdays and outreach. You can contact me on 0113 240 2444."

Take a look at our new kitchen in our community room 😃 Our members are so happy with our new kitchen and looking forward to putting it to use in our women's groups❗

Meet Steph our new Youth Worker😃

"Hi I'm the new Youth Worker at Leeds GATE. I will be mainly working at the Heath Common Wakefield working with the young people. I will be working on site Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays 09.30 until 2.30pm"

📣Leeds GATE AGM - all members welcome 💚

Our AGM or Annual General Meeting will be held from 11-1 on Wednesday 24th July at our Leeds building.

All Leeds GATE members are welcome to come along to hear more about our work over the last year with our board and staff.

Food and refreshments provided.
Any questions please call our office or speak to our team.

What an incredible final week rounding up Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month 2024! Our members and teams across West Yorkshire celebrated with hundreds of people putting Gypsy and Traveller culture centre stage:

💚The very first Wakefield Celebration event with Gypsy and Traveller families and partners in the district

💃Three very special Queenie and the Pooka performances to Gypsy and Traveller communities (our amazing dance and theatre performance about Queenie, a Traveller girl, and a very mischievous creature causing havoc!) with Spin Arts

🗣Training and awareness raising sessions across West Yorkshire to schools and partners

📣'Widening the Road to a Better Calderdale' event at Halifax Town Hall with so many families and partners in attendance, with performances from community members, crafts and looking forward to the future.

Thank you to the hundreds of people we've spoken to, painted with, made plans for the future with. Lets keep the conversation going and culture alive for always, not just for June.

📣‼️ IMPORTANT - LEEDS OFFICE CLOSURE THIS FRIDAY (28th June)

‼️Our main Leeds office is closed this Friday due to works being done on the building. No staff will be working from the building.

☎️Our phoneline is open as usual.
You can speak to the team by calling 0113 240 2444.

📨No care of post collection available on Friday.
Last time to collect letters - Thursday until 2.30pm.
Letters can be collected as usual from Monday morning onwards.

We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, back open as usual Monday.
Thank you for bearing with us.

Come along to our July young women's group😃

We'll be hand stitching lavender hanging hearts. These can make lovely gifts, or can be hung in a room, car, or wardrobe for a beautiful scent🪻

Some photos from last week when our Bradford women's group met up with YORK Travellers Trust to see the Gypsy and Traveller Photography Exhibition at Cartwright Hall😃

The Exhibition will be at Cartwright hall until 8th September Bradford Museums and Galleries

Thomas Gaffney (Leeds GATE service manager) and Ryan Powell (member of Leeds GATE board and Professor of Urban Studies at University of Sheffield) attending a Narrow Margins Knowledge exchange event in London. Leeds GATE were involved in the Narrow Margins research project in 2023 https://narrowmargins.info/ which investigated when, where, and for whom trespass has become a criminal offence.

Tom and Ryan shared and provided insight in their work regarding life roadside across Leeds and West Yorkshire before the police act 2022 and since this came into power.

Take a look at some photos from our GRT History month event 😀

A big thank you to Hannah Ostapjuk for coming along to reveal her amazing painting of Lee Gap 🎨🖼️

Kathleen's story - Roots - part of the Dreams and Songs to Sing exhibition Cartwright Hall Gallery, Bradford

A Bradford resident and Irish Traveller, Kathleen is proud of her heritage and aspires to uphold her culture and traditions: "It’s how I was brought up and how I brought my children up" she says.
She traces her roots back to County Wexford in the Republic of Ireland, but Yorkshire has always been a massive part of her life.

Kathleen's story in our exhibition is open and free to see until September 8th at Cartwright Hall Gallery Museums and Galleries. https://bradfordmuseums.org/events/dreams-and-songs-to-sing/

Kathleen is a member of our board and a member for almost the whole of Leeds GATE's existence. Her family have lived for four generations across Bradford.
Read her story below:

Kathleen’s story - Roots — Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange, Leeds GATE Kathleen’s story is part of our exhibition Dreams and Songs to Sing, now open and free to all at Cartwright Hall Gallery, Lister park Bradford. Find out more about the exhibition, upcoming events and opening times here: https://bradfordmuseums.org/events/dreams-and-songs-to-sing/ A Bradford resi

Come along to our GRTHM celebration 20th June 11:30am - 2:30pm 🥳

Food, Music & lots more fun for all ages😃
We will also be revealing our Lee Gap Fair painting 🎨

Hope to see you all there!

Take a look at some photos from the Calderdale launch event, We worked with over 500 people with may more who passed through the event while out shopping at the market😃

Two days of Art crafts and music to celebrate the launch of GRTHM.

A special mention goes to Bernard and Jacky who worked really hard and helped entertain the crowds all weekend.

Join us for a one-hour online session at part of GRT History Month 2024. Places are free and available to two people per organisation (or department if the organisation is large) operating in West Yorkshire.

This training is a good first step for those who haven’t worked with Gypsies and Travellers before or who have but would like to understand more about the historical and cultural context.

Get tickets using the link bellow - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lives-of-gypsies-and-travellers-leeds-gate-training-tickets-910708873757?aff=oddtdtcreator

A sneak peek of our wonderful Lee Gap painting by

The full painting will be getting revealed at our GRT History Month event on Thursday 20th June 😃 We look forward to seeing you all there❗

We are happy to say we now have a young women's group that will run 10.30am-12pm on the first Tuesday of every month for women aged 18-25.

With a varying range of activities including creative activities, make-up tutorials, health & fitness and fun bingo.Babies and toddlers are very welcome to attend with their mums☺️

As always, refreshments will be provided

Take a look at these amazing photos from our Mary Street GRT history months celebration event😃

Thank you to everyone who attended the event.

This week will be supporting voter registration as a part of

See how to register here or drop into a group and Gemma C will help you get registered.

Join us for a one-hour free online session at part of GRT History Month 2024. Places are free and available to two people per organisation (or department if the organisation is large) operating in West Yorkshire.

This training is a good first step for those who haven’t worked with Gypsies and Travellers before or who have but would like to understand more about the historical and cultural context.

Register for your free tickets using the link ⤵️https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lives-of-gypsies-and-travellers-leeds-gate-training-tickets-910708873757?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Lives of Gypsies and Travellers -Leeds GATE training Join us for a one-hour online session as part of celebrating GRT History Month 2024. Places are free for West Yorkshire based orgs.

📣FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY 📣Join us for a one-hour free online session at part of Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month 2024 on 25th of June!

Find out more about the rich histories and cultures of Gypsy and Traveller people and showing solidarity in your work.

Places are free and available to two people per organisation (or department if the organisation is large) operating in West Yorkshire.
This training is a good first step for those who haven’t worked with Gypsies and Travellers before or who have but would like to understand more about the historical and cultural context.

Register for your free tickets using the link ⤵️

The Lives of Gypsies and Travellers -Leeds GATE training Join us for a one-hour online session as part of celebrating GRT History Month 2024. Places are free for West Yorkshire based orgs.

Come along to our history month event 20th June at GATE 🥳

11.30 - 2.30

Day filled with fun at our building with something to do for all ages😃

We look forward to seeing you all there❗️