Pride of Romani

10/09/2026

Su***de Prevention Week.

We need to have an uncomfortable conversation about su***de in our Romany community.

Aunties. Uncles. Elders. Families.

We have a responsibility for the words we use and the judgement we place on our young people.

“What will people say?”
“Think about the family.”
“You’re bringing shame.”
“Why are you behaving like that?”

And now there is another way people can be hurt — social media.

A comment. A post. A screenshot. Public humiliation. Gossip. Piling on. Using social media to shame, expose or hurt someone can cause real damage.

We cannot keep calling it “just words” when someone is already struggling.

Our young people are watching us.

They need guidance, but they also need compassion. They need to know they can come to us when they are struggling without being judged, shamed or made to feel like a disappointment.

Our elders have a responsibility to protect the next generation — not add another weight to what they are already carrying.

We can be proud of who we are, proud of our culture and still have the courage to challenge behaviour within our own community that is hurting our young people.

We need to look after our own.

Not when it’s too late.
While they are still here. ❤️

***dePreventionWeek

09/09/2026

01/09/2026

Last chance please have a visit if you live near by

26/08/2026

Beyond the Bell — Men’s Health & Heritage Day 🥊

1st November 12pm–4pm
South Cheshire ABC, 72 Mirion Street, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 2AP

We’re bringing our men together for a day that is about heritage, health, brotherhood and conversation.

Beyond the Bell – The Laddie Hind Project is our Men’s Health & Heritage Day, run by Pride of Romany's Nevada Smith alongside nhs Health Services support available throughout the day.

This is about our men our husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, grandads, friends and community leaders.

We know how strong our men are. We see the sacrifices they make for their families, the responsibilities they carry and the way so many of them quietly get on with things without talking about what is really going on.

There is no shame in talking. There is no weakness in asking for help.

Sometimes you just need the right people, the right environment and someone willing to listen.

We want this day to be somewhere men can come together, relax, listen, talk, learn, connect and feel comfortable being themselves. Most importantly, we want to start conversations that can make a real difference.

We'll be bringing together heritage and health, recognising the strength of the men who came before us while making sure the men of today have the support they need to look after themselves.

Because our families need our men healthy.
Our community needs our men healthy.
And our men deserve to be healthy too.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR MEN TO GET INVOLVED

We're looking for:

Speakers — men with something important to say and experiences worth sharing.

Singers — men who want to bring their talent and help create a great atmosphere.

Men who can “talk the talk” — and we mean talking about the things that matter. Mental health, physical health, family, fatherhood, relationships, community and life.

Stallholders & businesses — particularly businesses from our community.

Food vendors & food trucks

It's about real men, real conversations and real life.

Let's break the silence. Let's look after our men. Let's celebrate them. And let's make a difference together.

If you're a speaker, singer, performer, stallholder, business, food vendor or a man who has a story or something important to share, get in touch with us.

Beyond the Bell – The Laddie Hind Project
Honouring our past. Supporting our community. Building a healthier future.

24/08/2026

THE JOSEPH SMITH PROJECT
ROMANY HERITAGE IN NORTHERN ENGLAND
We are inviting the families of Blackpool’s historic Romany community to become part of something very special.

The Joseph Smith Project for Romany Heritage in Northern England is bringing together the history, stories and legacy of the Romany families who made their lives in and around Blackpool, particularly the South Shore community.

Families such as the Smiths, Boswells, Lees and the many families connected to them form an important part of this story.

We are now beginning to build something so special that will help bring their lives to the public through our heritage work and a forthcoming exhibition celebrating Blackpool’s Romany history.

And we want the families themselves to be part of it.

Do you have a photograph of your grandparents or great-grandparents?

A family tree tucked away somewhere?

An old newspaper cutting?

A letter, document or photograph with a story behind it?

Perhaps you know the names of people in photographs that have been passed down through your family.

Or maybe you have stories about the camps, music, gatherings, work, family life, celebrations and the relationships between the Romany families and the wider Blackpool community.

These are the things that transform history from names on a page into real people with real lives.

We are particularly interested in the early South Shore families and the people who helped establish the community, including Siana Smith (“Gipsy Sarah”) and Edward/Ned Boswell, and the many Smith, Boswell, Robinsons , Lee and related families whose lives became intertwined with South Shore.

We are also interested in material showing the wonderful social history of the community — including accounts of the Romany camps opening their doors to local people, music being played and entertainment being provided. These glimpses into everyday life tell us so much about the community that official records often don't.



We are incredibly fortunate to have access to a substantial body of historical research into the South Shore community, and we are now looking to build upon that work by bringing the family histories and personal collections together.

This incredible research has Family photographs Family trees & genealogy
Newspaper articles & cuttings Documents and letters Stories of music, gatherings and camp life Family memories and stories Names, connections and information that can help us identify the people behind the photographs, we would love to know if you're the descendants of these incredible people.

This isn't simply about documenting the past.

It's about recognising the people who built these communities and making sure their descendants can see themselves in the history of Northern England in a lasting way.

If like us your family has a Blackpool South Shore Romany connection, we'd love to hear from you.

Your family's history could become part of something incredibly special
Your family's story could help identify a name.
Your family tree could connect generations.
And something sitting in a box at home could help complete a piece of history.

If you would like to contribute, please send us a message to Pride of Romany.

And please share this with your family — especially anyone who may have photographs, papers or stories from the older generations.

Bringing our history home.

Blackpool's Romany history is our history.

We will be in Blackpool this autumn so come and have a chat.

20/08/2026

MEET OUR TEAM

WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED

There are moments when you stop and look around you and realise that something has been quietly taking shape.

Not by accident.

Not by force.

But through time, faith, trust, sacrifice and divine timing.

Today, our hearts are incredibly full as we introduce the people who stand together as the team behind Pride of Romany:

Charmaine Abdul-Karim
Andy Kelly
Anna-Marie Smith Clark
Charlotte Fawcett
Nevada Smith
Anne-Marie Scragg
Lexy Stanley
Violet Eastwood

These are not simply names on a team page.

These are people who have stood in the work.

People who have shown up when it was difficult.

People who have given their time, their energy, their knowledge and their hearts.

People who have demonstrated, time and time again, that their commitment is not dependent upon applause, recognition or convenience.

They have simply stood.

And sometimes, standing is an act of courage.

There is a verse in Jeremiah that speaks to us deeply:

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord… They will be like a tree planted by the water… its leaves are always green.”
— Jeremiah 17:7–8

A tree planted by the water does not fear the heat.

Its roots go deep.

When the winds come, it does not run.

When the seasons change, it remains.

It continues to grow.

It continues to bear fruit.

And that is what we see in this team.

They have not been moved.

There is a song whose words have carried generations through struggle:

“We shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water,
we shall not be moved.”

Those words are more than a song to us.

They are a declaration.

Because our people know what it means to have our history overlooked, our voices spoken for, our identity misunderstood and our stories left out.

We know what it means to have to fight to be seen, fight to be heard and fight to ensure that our children inherit more than silence.

So we plant our roots deeper.

We remember those who came before us.

We carry their names.

We protect their stories.

We honour their struggles.

And we refuse to allow our history to disappear.

We shall not be moved.

This team understands that protecting Romanichal heritage is not about preserving something frozen in the past.

It is about protecting the living heartbeat of a people.

Our language.

Our traditions.

Our memories.

Our families.

Our elders.

Our stories.

Our photographs.

Our music.

Our places.

Our identity.

Our right to tell our own history in our own voice.

And that is why this moment means so much.

Because this is by our people, for our people.

We are not here to ask permission to be proud of who we are.

We are not here to apologise for our identity.

We are not here to allow our history to be diluted, rewritten or forgotten.

We are Romanichal.

Unapologetically.

Steadfastly.

Proudly.

And together, we stand as caretakers of what was entrusted to us by those who came before.

To our incredible team — thank you.

Thank you for standing.

Thank you for believing.

Thank you for protecting.

Thank you for challenging.

Thank you for giving.

Thank you for remaining when it would have been easier to walk away.

And thank you for understanding that sometimes the greatest contribution we can make to our people is simply to keep standing.

Because movements are not built by one person.

They are built by people who decide that something matters enough to stand for.

People who become the roots.

People who become the branches.

People who shelter others from the storm.

People who carry the flame when the night is dark.

People who look towards the next generation and say:

“We were here.
We remembered.
We protected it.
And we did not move.”

Our hearts are full.

Our roots are deep.

Our faith is strong.

Our people are strong.

Our history will be remembered.

And whatever winds may come, we shall not be moved.

We are planted.
We are rooted.
We are standing.
We are Romanichal.

PRIDE OF ROMANY

For our people. By our people.
Protecting our heritage. Preserving our history. Building our future.

09/08/2026

❤️🎄 WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN – WE NEED YOU! 🎄❤️

This November Pride of Romany is doing something really special.

As part of our Nantwich Christmas Ladies Shopping Day , we are helping raise money for women and children who have fled domeatic abuse we are also doing a toy donation, we are putting together a Women’s Fundraising & Planning Committee to help us raise money collect new toys and to come and work together to support these incrediblly brave women and children.

And we are looking for WOMEN who want to get involved and make a difference.

You don't have to be a professional fundraiser.
You don't have to have experience.
You don't have to be able to give loads of time.

We need women with ideas, contacts, energy, businesses, connections and big hearts.

✨ Could you help us organise raffles?
🎁 Could you help collect new toys?
🤝 Could you approach businesses for sponsorship or prizes?
⛪ Could you get your local church or community group involved?
📣 Could you help spread the word?
💡 Have you got a fundraising idea?
🎄 Could you help us make Christmas special for children who have had to leave their homes to escape domestic abuse?
📱Could you use your social media to promote and support the event?

Whatever you can bring to the table, we want to hear from you.

This isn't about one person doing everything.

It's about women coming together, women supporting women and our community standing behind families who need us.

🎁 NEW TOY DONATIONS
🎟️ RAFFLES & FUNDRAISING
🤝 SPONSORSHIP & PRIZES
⛪ CHURCH & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
❤️ SUPPORTING WOMEN & CHILDREN

We want to build a committee of women who can help us turn this year's Christmas Ladies Day into something that doesn't just look beautiful — it actually changes lives.

✨ If you'd like to be part of the committee, please message Pride of Romany.

Bring your ideas.
Bring your contacts.
Bring your skills.
Or simply bring yourself.

Because when women stand together, we can make a difference. ❤️

27/07/2026

Important Update from Pride of Romany

We are aware of recent speculation regarding our quieter presence online and would like to reassure everyone that Pride of Romany remains fully operational.
Our online communications have been more limited in recent weeks as the CEO's family has been navigating the reality of a family member living with a life-limiting illness. Whilst our social media activity has been quieter, our work has continued behind the scenes, with ongoing advocacy, partnership working and the development of a number of important projects.
To be absolutely clear, Pride of Romany is going nowhere. We remain fully committed to our mission and to the people we serve.
Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing lots of news, including exciting project announcements, new team members joining us, and the return of the heritage and information videos that our people have always enjoyed.
We would like to thank our incredible team, our people and our supporters for their patience, kindness and unwavering support during this time. Your messages, your prayers and your kindness have been felt more than you know.
Thank you for standing with Pride of Romany. As always We look forward to sharing the next chapter with you all.

23/07/2026

Yesterday we had a meeting that brought together an exceptional group of partners who share our commitment to improving the health and life chances of British Romanichal men.For generations, the men in our culture have carried strength, responsibility and resilience — yet they have often been the hardest to reach when it comes to advocacy, health and change. Beyond the Bell project is all about shifting that narrative.
Built on the legacy of British Romany boxer Laddie Hind, we have created something unique, culturally grounded, and never done before — a new approach rooted in heritage, identity and the boxing tradition that has shaped our men for decades. Our sincere thanks to: Nathan Clarke South Cheshire ABC Boxing Gym, whose gym is already a trusted environment where our men already feel at home. The incredible Claire Smith Project Manager CCICP Transformation Team, our partner whos dedicated to ensuring culturally informed, community‑led health improvement. Crewe Town Council Stuart Mackay Mayor of Crewe, recognising the importance of this work for local wellbeing and community resilience. Our own Neveda Smith Pride of Romany Men’s Network Lead, who strengthens this project the pride he has in our identity, a role model who is trusted and respected by our people.Together, we are building something powerful. The foundations are set. The momentum is building.
Follow us and drop us a message to hear more.