Little Gypsy

Book excerpt: Born in 1979, Roxy Freeman grew up travelling around Ireland and England in a traditional horse-drawn wagon with her mother and father and six siblings. Life was harsh but it was a childhood of freedom spent in harmony with nature. Roxy didn't know her times-tables but she could milk a goat, ride a horse and cook dinner for the whole family on an open fire before she was ten. Early life was idyllic but when her father brought the family to England, they faced prejudice and hostility and Roxy found herself receiving the very unwelcome attentions of a family friend - which she endured in secret. Despite all of the difficulties she faced, she developed a passion for flamenco and traditional music and developed a career as a dancer, which took her around the world. Her beautifully written story is a frank portrait of what life is really like for women and girls of traveller communities.