Romani Nursery Rhymes

Jell Akai Chavvies

by Kathleen Cunningham

ACERT is very grateful to the family of the late Kathleen Cunningham for allowing us to make Jell Akai Chavvies available to download from our website. Originally published in 2004, this beautiful collection of nursery rhymes was written for Kathleen’s grandchildren, who helped her with the illustrations. The recordings were made by Kathleen, by members of the Cambridgeshire Traveller Education Team and by schools in the Fenland area where Kathleen lived. Included is a fascinating glossary of Romany words. The resource is ideal for children in early years settings but can be enjoyed by people of any age. 

Kathleen Cunningham was first and foremost a poet. Her collection “A Moving Way of Life” 1997 was dedicated to her grandchildren. In the foreword she wrote “so that they will always remember their Romany ancestors and in in memory of my father, Esau Carman without whose foresight in sending me to school they would not have been written”. In “The Great Romany Showman” 2007, illustrated with family photos and with poetry, she remembered the life and travels of her grandfather. 

In 2008 Kathleen’s granddaughter, Rose Wilson, coordinated a national project and published Reminiscence a book of photographs to celebrate the first Gypsy Roma Traveller History month. 

In her foreword to this collection she wrote: “My Granny, Kathleen Cunningham, lost her long battle with cancer and passed away on 23 October 2008 peacefully at home with her family at her side. She was a truly inspirational person who taught me to believe in myself and others, which can be particularly hard when you’re looked upon as “them Travellers” or “the Gypsies”. She taught me to be proud of who I am, as indeed she was, and to celebrate and not hide the fact that I am a Romany Gypsy. She even researched our family trees, which date back to the 1800’s. This is why I think it is important to celebrate our culture and heritage. Other cultures do this, so why not Gypsies and Travellers?” 

Early Years Senior Practitioner vacancy in Central Bedfordshire

Salary: £28,099 – £30,719 per annum

Base Location: Sandy Children’s Centre, Sandy

This role is an opportunity to be part of a pilot project to work with Gypsy Roma and Traveller children and their families, where there are issues relating to engagement in education. We are looking for the right candidate to build relationships and support children and families to raise aspirations for learning. Working collaboratively with partner agencies and across teams in Central Bedfordshire Council, this is a fantastic opportunity to find your greatness.

To apply and for further details please visit  https://bit.ly/30dutDm or contact Cathy Brighton Catherine.Brighton@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk   Tel: 0300 300 6311

King’s College London are prioritising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller students on their flagship K+ scheme

Once again, King’s College London are prioritising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller students on their flagship K+ scheme for year 12 students in London and South Essex. This has been so successful in the last few years, and each year we see more Gypsies, Roma and Travellers head to university from K+.

As well as all of the amazing experiences and application support students get through K+, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller students will also receive extra support, provided by the global leading law firm Linklaters. This includes:

  • Free online tutoring to support with A-levels 
  • Careers advice, experience and tips from top professionals
  • Access to funds to go to events and take part in activities you are interested in

Applications are open from now until 29 October – to apply visit https://kplus.london

Join the ACERT Education Network

Most of the people who attend the Traveller Education network meetings work in Traveller Education support services or similar. There are members from all over the country of whom around half tend to join the discussion each time. Often one of the participants talks about some aspect of their work to kick off a discussion with the group. People who may feel isolated in their work can take the opportunity to discuss dilemmas or seek advice.

ACERT hosts the meetings via Zoom. They run between 2p.m. and 4p.m. on Wednesday afternoons. The first meeting of this school year will be on Wednesday 13 October at 2p.m.

The remaining dates for the coming year are provisionally set for:

1st December

26th January, 16th March

4th May, 15th June, 20th July

If you would like to receive a link to join the Traveller Education Network meetings and/or if you would like to join our Education Support Mailing List, please email us at info@acert.org.uk