ianstone
08-17-2010, 02:33 PM
Village in lockdown as religious festival is over-run by 1,000 travellers
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 6:28 PM on 17th August 2010
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A picturesque village has gone into lockdown after an empty field was invaded by 200 caravans and 1,000 people for a born-again Christian festival for Irish travellers and gipsies.
Stunned shopkeepers complained traveller children have been running amok and one pub landlord has locked his doors after the caravans descended on Swavesey, near Cambridge, on Saturday.
Angry villagers claimed yesterday they were duped into granting permission for a small six-day religious festival with a dozen caravans to be held on the 30-acre field.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/17/article-1303740-0AD2E782000005DC-594_634x356.jpg Caravan park: Up to 1,000 travellers and 200 caravans have swamped the village of Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, for the Light And Life Christian festival
Instead a large convoy of travellers descended on the village and set up toilets and a marquee in a 30-acre field yards from homes and a church.
The event has been organised by the Life And Light group, a born-again Pentecostal Christian organisation, which is made up of Romany Gipsies and Irish travellers.
Dozens of angry villagers held showdown talks with councillors in Swavesey yesterday demanding the travellers are removed but they are not due to leave until Friday.
Minister Abraham Howard, of the group running the Life and Light Festival, said: 'We have come here to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
'We have paid for the field from Saturday until Saturday but we will be gone and the field will be returned to its previous state by Friday.
'We are meeting to talk about the word of Jesus Christ. We haven't come to do any harm we're just here to save the "lost ones" from hell.
'People have nothing to fear - we are Christians.'
Despite complaints from villagers the campsite is entirely legal because the travellers obtained legal permission for a Christian festival to be held on the field.
Sue Ellington, South Cambridgeshire district councillor for Swavesey, said: 'We have a field that has been used for steam engine rally this summer and other relatively small activities and I understand someone approached the landlord to hold a small religious festival.
'I think everyone in the village was then a little stunned to find more than 200 caravans arrive.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/17/article-1303740-0AD38BF2000005DC-384_634x428.jpg Despite complaints from villagers the campsite is entirely legal because the travellers obtained permission for a Christian festival to be held on the field
'Nobody in the village knew this was happening until the caravans came traipsing through the village.
'They've parked close to the centre of the village and disturbed people here. They appear to have things like toilets and proper facilities so there is no health risk.
'There are a number of local people who are concerned but they are here legally and I understand they plan to stay here all week.
'They said they will go on Friday and I have no reason to doubt them.
'I entirely understand the villager's concerns around finding so many people here without warning - they are entirely justified being a bit concerned.
'I am told it is a religious festival but don't know what religion it is. They are Irish travellers.'
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Constabulary said police will continue to monitor the camp throughout the week but there were no plans to move the travellers.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/17/article-1303740-0AD1D7EB000005DC-472_306x462.jpg Picturesque: Swavesey village in Cambridgeshire where the festival is taking place
Martin Johnston, chairman of Swavesey Parish Council, said he was inundated with complaints as soon as the caravans arrived.
He said: 'We have been told some of the children have been stealing from local shops like the newsagents and making some of the shoppers nervous.
'The owner of the White Horse pub has locked his doors because underage people kept trying to get in.
'There are around 200 vans, so who knows how many people there are.
'Permission or not, we should have been told they were going to be here.
'We would like them to leave as they are disrupting the residents of Swavesey.'
The owner of the land, named locally as Trevor Smith, was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Swavesey has a population of just 2,480 villagers according to the most recent figures.
Villager April Martin, 63, said: 'I think the land owner is a little red-faced because he thought a dozen caravans would turn up and wasn't expecting so many people.
'It seems there is a group of born-again Christians who will be here until Friday. There is a big marquee in the middle where some sort of religious ceremony takes place.
'Everyone is talking about it in the post office this morning and people are worried.
'The problem people have is two-fold; firstly there are are such a lot of them and secondly, nobody, not even the district or parish council, knew it was going to happen.'
Jake Bowers, a Romany journalist and the editor of Travellers' Times Online, said the festival would be peaceful and leave the town without incident.
He said: 'They represent the best of the traveller community rather than the worst.
'Life and Light is a religious organisation made up largely of Romany Gipsies with some Irish travellers, the two groups that are recognised by law in this country.
'It is a charitable organisation, and while I don't think it has charitable status, it does things like operate orphanages in Romania - missionary work.
'I can only speak from experience and I know there was a festival in Edinburgh recently and that didn't attract any attention.
'If you were to compare it to another event of that size and with that level of litter, then Light and Life will leave the place spotless, because they know if they don't then they won't be invited back.
'There are always fears wherever there are traveller people because of the prejudices and misconceptions people have.
'Yes, there is some anti-social behaviour with some travellers and there are good representatives and bad representatives in any community, but this groups stands for the opposite of that.
'They are all for community cohesion and inviting people into their group.
'If there was a convention of Afro-Caribbean Christians would there be the same concerns? That's how you have to look at this.'
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire police said: 'We are aware of their presence and there are community impact issues.
'We are working with the parish council and are monitoring the travelling community.
'Officers are in the area and will deal pro-actively with any offences committed.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1303740/Christian-travellers-descend-sleepy-village-leaving-residents-arms.html#ixzz0wtDBgmp0
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 6:28 PM on 17th August 2010
Comments (30) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1303740/Christian-travellers-descend-sleepy-village-leaving-residents-arms.html#comments)
Add to My Stories (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1303740/Christian-travellers-descend-sleepy-village-leaving-residents-arms.html)
A picturesque village has gone into lockdown after an empty field was invaded by 200 caravans and 1,000 people for a born-again Christian festival for Irish travellers and gipsies.
Stunned shopkeepers complained traveller children have been running amok and one pub landlord has locked his doors after the caravans descended on Swavesey, near Cambridge, on Saturday.
Angry villagers claimed yesterday they were duped into granting permission for a small six-day religious festival with a dozen caravans to be held on the 30-acre field.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/17/article-1303740-0AD2E782000005DC-594_634x356.jpg Caravan park: Up to 1,000 travellers and 200 caravans have swamped the village of Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, for the Light And Life Christian festival
Instead a large convoy of travellers descended on the village and set up toilets and a marquee in a 30-acre field yards from homes and a church.
The event has been organised by the Life And Light group, a born-again Pentecostal Christian organisation, which is made up of Romany Gipsies and Irish travellers.
Dozens of angry villagers held showdown talks with councillors in Swavesey yesterday demanding the travellers are removed but they are not due to leave until Friday.
Minister Abraham Howard, of the group running the Life and Light Festival, said: 'We have come here to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
'We have paid for the field from Saturday until Saturday but we will be gone and the field will be returned to its previous state by Friday.
'We are meeting to talk about the word of Jesus Christ. We haven't come to do any harm we're just here to save the "lost ones" from hell.
'People have nothing to fear - we are Christians.'
Despite complaints from villagers the campsite is entirely legal because the travellers obtained legal permission for a Christian festival to be held on the field.
Sue Ellington, South Cambridgeshire district councillor for Swavesey, said: 'We have a field that has been used for steam engine rally this summer and other relatively small activities and I understand someone approached the landlord to hold a small religious festival.
'I think everyone in the village was then a little stunned to find more than 200 caravans arrive.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/17/article-1303740-0AD38BF2000005DC-384_634x428.jpg Despite complaints from villagers the campsite is entirely legal because the travellers obtained permission for a Christian festival to be held on the field
'Nobody in the village knew this was happening until the caravans came traipsing through the village.
'They've parked close to the centre of the village and disturbed people here. They appear to have things like toilets and proper facilities so there is no health risk.
'There are a number of local people who are concerned but they are here legally and I understand they plan to stay here all week.
'They said they will go on Friday and I have no reason to doubt them.
'I entirely understand the villager's concerns around finding so many people here without warning - they are entirely justified being a bit concerned.
'I am told it is a religious festival but don't know what religion it is. They are Irish travellers.'
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Constabulary said police will continue to monitor the camp throughout the week but there were no plans to move the travellers.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/17/article-1303740-0AD1D7EB000005DC-472_306x462.jpg Picturesque: Swavesey village in Cambridgeshire where the festival is taking place
Martin Johnston, chairman of Swavesey Parish Council, said he was inundated with complaints as soon as the caravans arrived.
He said: 'We have been told some of the children have been stealing from local shops like the newsagents and making some of the shoppers nervous.
'The owner of the White Horse pub has locked his doors because underage people kept trying to get in.
'There are around 200 vans, so who knows how many people there are.
'Permission or not, we should have been told they were going to be here.
'We would like them to leave as they are disrupting the residents of Swavesey.'
The owner of the land, named locally as Trevor Smith, was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Swavesey has a population of just 2,480 villagers according to the most recent figures.
Villager April Martin, 63, said: 'I think the land owner is a little red-faced because he thought a dozen caravans would turn up and wasn't expecting so many people.
'It seems there is a group of born-again Christians who will be here until Friday. There is a big marquee in the middle where some sort of religious ceremony takes place.
'Everyone is talking about it in the post office this morning and people are worried.
'The problem people have is two-fold; firstly there are are such a lot of them and secondly, nobody, not even the district or parish council, knew it was going to happen.'
Jake Bowers, a Romany journalist and the editor of Travellers' Times Online, said the festival would be peaceful and leave the town without incident.
He said: 'They represent the best of the traveller community rather than the worst.
'Life and Light is a religious organisation made up largely of Romany Gipsies with some Irish travellers, the two groups that are recognised by law in this country.
'It is a charitable organisation, and while I don't think it has charitable status, it does things like operate orphanages in Romania - missionary work.
'I can only speak from experience and I know there was a festival in Edinburgh recently and that didn't attract any attention.
'If you were to compare it to another event of that size and with that level of litter, then Light and Life will leave the place spotless, because they know if they don't then they won't be invited back.
'There are always fears wherever there are traveller people because of the prejudices and misconceptions people have.
'Yes, there is some anti-social behaviour with some travellers and there are good representatives and bad representatives in any community, but this groups stands for the opposite of that.
'They are all for community cohesion and inviting people into their group.
'If there was a convention of Afro-Caribbean Christians would there be the same concerns? That's how you have to look at this.'
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire police said: 'We are aware of their presence and there are community impact issues.
'We are working with the parish council and are monitoring the travelling community.
'Officers are in the area and will deal pro-actively with any offences committed.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1303740/Christian-travellers-descend-sleepy-village-leaving-residents-arms.html#ixzz0wtDBgmp0