Traveller mother says traveller children shouldn’t stay in school ‘longer than they need to’

A traveller mother-of-two who entered her two-year-old daughter into a beauty pageant claims looking good takes priority over schooling in her community.

Lavinia, a Romani traveller who lives in Dorset with her husband Danny, her son Young Danny, eight, and daughter Valentina says traveller women pay a lot of attention to their appearance in order to ‘outdo’ each other.

Appearing on Here Come the Gypsies on Channel 5 tonight, she adds that traveller children shouldn’t stay in school for ‘too long’ because they risk picking up bad habits. 

Speaking about her daughter’s upcoming pageant, she says she hoped Valentina won’t be marked down because she comes from a traveller background. 

Lavinia, a Romani traveller who lives in Dorset with her husband Danny, her son Young Danny, eight, and her daugther Valentina, two, pictured, says traveller women pay a lot of attention to their looks in order to ‘out-do’ each other

‘Looking good is very important to gypsy women,’ she explains.

‘Valentina, she’s two, and going to something as little as ASDA or going to a big gypsy event, it’s important for us to look our best.

‘For Valentina, being a typical gypsy girl, she is our attention. We want all eyes on Valentina. It’s important to look our best. 

‘A lot of gypsy girls will look their best because they think, “I’ll look better than the next girl, she won’t look better than me,” so in a lot of ways they are trying to outdo each other.

Lavinia wants Valentina, pictured, to succeed at a beauty pageant, but is afraid she'll be marked down for being a traveller

Lavinia wants Valentina, pictured, to succeed at a beauty pageant, but is afraid she’ll be marked down for being a traveller

‘It can be quite hard growing up as a gypsy girl.

‘I did grow up personally thinking, “What will they think of me?”. It can be quite daunting, so I’m hoping that I can raise my little ones to be more out there, don’t worry about what people think.’

Stay-at-home mother Lavinia and breadwinner Danny have two cats, six chickens and a miniature pony that the children play with in their courtyard garden. 

While her husband is at work she takes her children to school, but overall she says she raises them in ‘a traditional traveller way’. 

Discussing her children’s upbringing, she remarks: ‘It’s not a great idea for gypsy girls and boys to be in school longer than they need to be because they pick up bad habits.’

Despite having high hopes for Valentina’s success in the pageant, she admits she worries her daughter will be looked down on for being from a traveller background.  

The mother-of-two is proud when her daughter wins fifth place and says she would like to help other traveller mums compete in the pageant

The mother-of-two is proud when her daughter wins fifth place and says she would like to help other traveller mums compete in the pageant

‘I am worried that Valentina, being from a travelling background, when they see us walking up, they’ll think “She’s from a traveller background, they don’t deserve to be here”.’ 

She continues to have doubts even after the trainer she hired to coach Valentina ahead of the pageant assured her pageants are open to all and no one will judge her on her background, and that ‘everyone is welcome’.

On the day of the pageant, nervous Lavinia prepares Valentina for the different categories, coiffing her hair, applying make-up and dressing her in fancy outfits. 

While her first steps are hesitant, Valentina quickly turns on the charisma and waves to the crowds, performing the ‘pageant faces’ she rehearsed at home and twirling.

Valentina charms the judges and finishes in fifth place, going home with the ‘Best Personality Jackpot’. 

Afterwards proud mother Lavinia gushes: ‘She came fifth out of the entire competition and she won best personality jackpot, which was another crown, there are 60 contestants and she came fifth. I’m so happy, this is brilliant.

‘I will definitely be recommending this pageant to everybody that does pageants, all the travellers back home. 

‘I’m gonna ask them if they want to do it and if they do I’ll keep giving them help, show them the right way. And yeah, getting them all into it, why not. All gypsies take over!’

Here Come the Gypsies airs on Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 5.  

Traveller mother says traveller children shouldn’t stay in school ‘longer than they need to’

A traveller mother-of-two who entered her two-year-old daughter into a beauty pageant claims looking good takes priority over schooling in her community.

Lavinia, a Romani traveller who lives in Dorset with her husband Danny, her son Young Danny, eight, and daughter Valentina says traveller women pay a lot of attention to their appearance in order to ‘outdo’ each other.

Appearing on Here Come the Gypsies on Channel 5 tonight, she adds that traveller children shouldn’t stay in school for ‘too long’ because they risk picking up bad habits. 

Speaking about her daughter’s upcoming pageant, she says she hoped Valentina won’t be marked down because she comes from a traveller background. 

Lavinia, a Romani traveller who lives in Dorset with her husband Danny, her son Young Danny, eight, and her daugther Valentina, two, pictured, says traveller women pay a lot of attention to their looks in order to ‘out-do’ each other

‘Looking good is very important to gypsy women,’ she explains.

‘Valentina, she’s two, and going to something as little as ASDA or going to a big gypsy event, it’s important for us to look our best.

‘For Valentina, being a typical gypsy girl, she is our attention. We want all eyes on Valentina. It’s important to look our best. 

‘A lot of gypsy girls will look their best because they think, “I’ll look better than the next girl, she won’t look better than me,” so in a lot of ways they are trying to outdo each other.

Lavinia wants Valentina, pictured, to succeed at a beauty pageant, but is afraid she'll be marked down for being a traveller

Lavinia wants Valentina, pictured, to succeed at a beauty pageant, but is afraid she’ll be marked down for being a traveller

‘It can be quite hard growing up as a gypsy girl.

‘I did grow up personally thinking, “What will they think of me?”. It can be quite daunting, so I’m hoping that I can raise my little ones to be more out there, don’t worry about what people think.’

Stay-at-home mother Lavinia and breadwinner Danny have two cats, six chickens and a miniature pony that the children play with in their courtyard garden. 

While her husband is at work she takes her children to school, but overall she says she raises them in ‘a traditional traveller way’. 

Discussing her children’s upbringing, she remarks: ‘It’s not a great idea for gypsy girls and boys to be in school longer than they need to be because they pick up bad habits.’

Despite having high hopes for Valentina’s success in the pageant, she admits she worries her daughter will be looked down on for being from a traveller background.  

The mother-of-two is proud when her daughter wins fifth place and says she would like to help other traveller mums compete in the pageant

The mother-of-two is proud when her daughter wins fifth place and says she would like to help other traveller mums compete in the pageant

‘I am worried that Valentina, being from a travelling background, when they see us walking up, they’ll think “She’s from a traveller background, they don’t deserve to be here”.’ 

She continues to have doubts even after the trainer she hired to coach Valentina ahead of the pageant assured her pageants are open to all and no one will judge her on her background, and that ‘everyone is welcome’.

On the day of the pageant, nervous Lavinia prepares Valentina for the different categories, coiffing her hair, applying make-up and dressing her in fancy outfits. 

While her first steps are hesitant, Valentina quickly turns on the charisma and waves to the crowds, performing the ‘pageant faces’ she rehearsed at home and twirling.

Valentina charms the judges and finishes in fifth place, going home with the ‘Best Personality Jackpot’. 

Afterwards proud mother Lavinia gushes: ‘She came fifth out of the entire competition and she won best personality jackpot, which was another crown, there are 60 contestants and she came fifth. I’m so happy, this is brilliant.

‘I will definitely be recommending this pageant to everybody that does pageants, all the travellers back home. 

‘I’m gonna ask them if they want to do it and if they do I’ll keep giving them help, show them the right way. And yeah, getting them all into it, why not. All gypsies take over!’

Here Come the Gypsies airs on Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 5.