A Living Tradition
A Living Tradition is a Community Interest Company (CIC), and has been running for eight years. The company uses the human rights history of the Northeast of England as an inspiration to encourage the development of the values of solidarity, tolerance and fairness today. Based in Newcastle and Gateshead, its main focus is on supporting people in the local Roma community. It has run several events in the local area, has also worked in schools, and has input into issues around hate crime and the experiences of Roma people with policy makers.
At the February 2019 meeting, Trustees awarded a grant of £3,000 to this organisation. The funding will contribute towards costs of running a weekly drop-in Information Exchange. Each week anywhere between ten and twenty people attend and benefit from advice and information on a range of issues such as education, housing, health and debt. Advisors from agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau also come to the drop-in to ensure their services are accessible to the Roma community. Outcomes from the work are that the Roma community will have improved access to local information and services, better integration into society, and a build-up of trust within the local area.
