The first rounds of evictions at Woodside Caravan Park started last Monday, the 4th of November.

A groundbreaking coalition of Romany, Irish and New Travellers, as well as supporters from other communities, gathered together to stop the eviction. There was some small success in stopping the bailiffs from forcibly removing one Irish Traveller family from the site, only after they had already pinned the father to the ground and attempted to lower and move a caravan with a young boy (maybe 10 yrs old?) clinging on underneath and his two sisters screaming inside. All the other plots up for eviction that day were bulldozed and burned.

I feel a little stumped as to what to say. There is only one plot left that is still awaiting a decision on planning before Mid Beds Council can have it. We heard on Wednesday that the second to last plot lost it’s appeal for a stay of eviction on the grounds of a renewed planning application and application for a Judicial Review. The news is shattering. It belongs to the Codona Family. They have been hugely active in campaigning to keep Woodside, and instrumental in bringing the different travellers together. Their new application included plans for an open-air woodland museum of all the travelling lifestyles in Britain over the past 100 years. They are fighting for Travellers’ rights so that, were it ever built, the museum wouldn’t be entirely historical.

There are many other cases like Woodside around Britain. Watch this space to find out more and get involved.