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ROMLIT events
June 2026
ROMLIT co-organised a first-ever Gypsy, Roma and Traveller book fair in partnership with Our Stories Matter — together with another three UK higher education institutions. UEA hosted for the first time a celebration of published Gypsy, Roma and Traveller literacy and literature.
The event brought around sixty students from two local schools onto campus, alongside seven authors and creative professionals from the GRT, Showman and Boater communities, as well as participants from across UEA and beyond. Workshops on the day gave students the chance to engage directly with GRT storytellers and their work.
The book fair was supported by Civic UEA and Widening Participation at UEA, as well as Norfolk City Council and Norfolk County Council.
This is a landmark moment for GRT representation in children's literature, and a fitting reflection of ROMLIT's wider mission: to challenge deficit narratives around GRT literacy and instead recognise and celebrate the rich, culturally embedded literacies already present within these communities. The team hopes this pioneering event will set a precedent for future initiatives of its kind.
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May 2026
ROMLIT, Empowering Literacies: Working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children in Early Years, was named a finalist in the UEA Innovation and Impact Awards 2026.
This is a fantastic achievement. ROMLIT was shortlisted alongside an impressive field of finalists tackling major challenges on local, national and global scales.
ROMLIT's place as a finalist is a real testament to its commitment to inclusive education and to research that makes a genuine difference beyond the university.
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April 2026
ROMLIT was shortlisted in the Education category at one of the most prestigious national awards recognising organisations and individuals working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, run by Friends, Families and Travellers.
All finalists were invited to a ceremony in Brighton to celebrate the achievements of a diverse range of projects working with GRT communities. The picture below is from that event.
To be shortlisted in this category is a significant recognition of ROMLIT's work and impact, and reflects the growing national reputation of the project's contribution to inclusive early years education for GRT children.
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June-September 2025
ROMLIT hosted two exhibitions, one in the University of East Anglia library and one in UEA's Student Union area. Bespoke materials, such as display boards, were created for these exhibitions with the aim to increase the visibility of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture. Some of these boards are now housed in local schools.
ROMLIT exhibition, University of East Anglia library, June - September 2025
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ROMLIT exhibition, University of East Anglia Student Union, June 2025
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April 2025
On April 2nd we hosted guest speaker Richard O’Neill, MBE, who explored the literacy practices of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and inclusion in mainstream education.
You can watch other public lectures of the Joyce Morris Early Years Literacy Forum on this page.
November 2024
ROMLIT were delighted to be invited to present our work at the expert webinar Gypsy, Roma & Traveller Communities in the UK: Strengthening Rights and Tackling the Hostile Environment organised by the Public Policy Exchange. Our presentation was titled Early Years education for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children: from deficit approaches to empowering literacies and it was delivered by ROMLIT's Principal Investigator, Dr Spyros Themelis. Other experts who participated in the event included Pauline Melvin-Anderson OBE, Chair of the Traveller Movement, Jake Bowers, Trustee of Gypsies and Travellers Essex (GATE) and Co-Founder of Drive to Survive , Dr Annabel Tremlett, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Portsmouth, Alison Blackwood, Manager of Southwark , Rev. John Chadwick, Co-founder & Head of Pastoral Care and Outreach at Margaret Clitherow Trust and Rachel Stout, Advocacy & Advice Manager for the Irish Community Care Manchester.
September 2024
ROMLIT's presentation Empowering Literacies: working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children’s Early Years literacies at the BERA annual confernce was shortlisted for the Literacy and Language SIG 'best presentation' award.