There is a sign on the door of St Mary’s Parish Church in West Moors which often invites comment from those attending weddings, funerals, and other parish events. It is the Roma Chakra and it is the church’s way of saying that the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller community are always welcome through its doors.

St Mary’s has a long and proud history of supporting the Traveller community in West Moors, but in particular during the tenure of Revd Andy Muckle, the present vicar. Andy has made it a particular focus of his ministry to reach out to the community and has been part of the group that supports the work of Revd Jonathan Herbert the Diocesan Chaplain to the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller community.

A common sight in West Moors is Andy leading a funeral procession, walking through the Town from the church to West Moors Cemetery, where the Traveller community has a strong historical association. Andy has also been involved in advocacy work for the community, particularly in regard to recognising the distinctive nature of Traveller memorials in the Town Cemetery. It is an area of ministry that Andy and the church are proud to support.

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Community – St Mary’s Parish Church West Moors – A Church Near You

For many years the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rossmore, Poole, has been seen by many of the Romany Gypsy community as their church.

There are a lot of Travellers settled in houses in Rossmore and before those houses were built there were Gypsy stopping places on the heathland. The small wooden church has a few local Travellers attending its Sunday services and has hosted many large Traveller funerals over the years. Its recently retired vicar, Rev’d Peter Homden, grew up in Rossmore and was well-known and respected by local Travellers. He’d often help people out with difficulties with the council, the police and other institutions. In 2019 an open-air service followed by a hog roast was held with local Travellers.

Five years ago the church began to host a non-contact boxing club, run by local Traveller Michael Johnson, which attracted many young Travellers and non-Travellers from the estate. The church also hosted the premier of ‘Ghost Gypsy’, a film about a young Traveller woman facing discrimination at school. Kushti Bok, a Dorset based Traveller organisation, regularly holds meetings at the church.

As Rev’d Jonathan Herbert, Chaplain to Gypsies and Travellers in Dorset and Wiltshire, recalls: ‘I remember taking a Traveller funeral at the Church of the Good Shepherd and how helpful everyone was. One of the people from the church told me she’d been in the local supermarket when she heard someone at the checkout complaining how the funeral would disrupt traffic. She said she put the person right saying how many Travellers she knew as trusted friends and how people should respect and learn from their funeral traditions.’