Moving For Change looks to future after £5m Lottery funding award

The Gypsy and Traveller charity Moving for Change (MfC) has been awarded £5 million funding for a further eight years of operations ‘improving the quality of life for nomadic Gypsy and Traveller people and communities’.

Thanks to National Lottery players, the organisation received the £5 million from The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF). The funding will be used to improve the quality of life for nomadic Gypsy and Traveller people and communities, across the UK, say MfC.

On the support offered by TNLCF, Moving for Change Chair, Violet Cannon, said:

Over the past five years, Moving for Change has worked alongside Gypsy and Traveller people and communities across the country to push for real change. Together with individuals, grassroots voices, and organisations from across civil society and our wider Network, we’ve helped shine a light on both the inequalities our communities continue to face and the strength, knowledge, and leadership that already exists within them.

Now, with the support of the National Lottery Community Fund, Moving for Change is entering its next chapter. We remain committed to supporting Gypsy and Traveller people and communities to recognise their own power, strengthen their voices, and shape the decisions that affect their lives.

As always, we look forward to continuing to work closely with our Network members and commissioning group to ensure our work remains community-led, grounded in lived experience, and focused on creating meaningful and lasting impact.”

This renewal will allow MfC to continue its work, supporting organisations, individuals and projects in areas such as accommodation, education, and organisational development.

MFC will deliver an improved regranting process, a new commissioning group, and a targeted approach to developing new initiatives and projects.

Network member and Romany activist, Abiline McShane, added:

“Being a member of the Moving for Change Network has provided an environment where people who are passionate about the rights and ways of Gypsy and Traveller people can come together and work towards a common goal.

As an individual activist, MFC’s network offers much needed support in connecting with others in the struggle towards equity and inclusion.”

Moving for Change press release/TT News

(Photograph: Appleby 2024 © Eszter Halasi)