Drive to Survive

Organisation: Gypsy Media Company

Location: UK

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill making its way through parliament has been described as the biggest threat to nomadic Gypsy and Traveller life since 1994. The Policing Bill would criminalise nomadic life under threat of fines, imprisonment or confiscation of vehicles and property.

To fight the Policing Bill, Romany and Traveller activists established the Drive to Survive campaign. Drive to Survive is a campaign championing the voices of Gypsy and Traveller people to be heard by legislators, before it’s too late. The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness of the Policing Bill and the effects it could have on nomadic communities, engage Gypsy and Traveller communities in the fight against the Bill and to change the public narrative on nomadic lives.

To meet these aims, the campaign is steered by a group of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people and representatives from across the UK. So far the campaign has included an event at Appleby Fair, as well as protests in Parliament Square and in Manchester. Moving for Change awarded the Gypsy Media Company funding to document this significant moment in history. Drive to Survive have since released two award-winning films.

Watch their latest film, The Last Nomads, below.