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What do we really need to know about the Travelling community?

9 July 2019

Davie Donaldson is on a mission to shatter stereotypes about Travellers. He wants to dispel myths about crime, tarring driveways and tax-dodging, and spread the truth about what life is really like for members of his community.

Davie believes that people’s preconceived ideas of Travellers’ activities and ignorance about their culture lead to continued discrimination, which limits their opportunities.

He has spoken before about the need to hide his Traveller background while at school and the prejudice his family faced.

So, in a bid to explain what really goes on in the community, Davie revealed ten things to The Social that he would like everyone to know about Scottish Travellers.

10 Things You Should Know About Scottish Travellers

"We're just normal people trying to get by."

Busting myths about Travellers

The reality of Travelling life, according to Davie:

  • “We’ve been around for 1000 years.”
  • “We pay tax.”
  • “We don’t all live in trailers, many Travellers live in houses.”
  • “We have our own languages – Cant and Beurla Reagaird.”
  • “We don’t all leave a mess.”
  • “We’re not criminals.”
  • “We do normal jobs, there are Traveller doctors, nurses and lawyers.”
  • “We face an accommodation crisis.”
  • “We have the highest inequalities on every measure that the government has.”
  • “We’re just normal people.”

Davie on battling prejudice

Travellers鈥� tales

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