A voice for Dorset Gypsies and Travellers

Kushti bok

Updated 10 February 2012

Registered Charity Number 1136229

Kushti Bok was formed originally to work with Kingston Maurward on the Matchmaker Project and members decided to develop the group into becoming a voice for Gypsies and Travellers in Dorset.

The largest single ethnic minority group in Dorset is Gypsies and Travellers. (Dorset Race Equality council report - "Racism and the Dorset Idyll"). Kingston Maurward College worked with a variety of education providers to apply for funding to help these communities access education and training.

As a result, the European Social Fund and the Dorset and Somerset Learning Skills Council funded the Matchmaker project which was managed by KMC 2005 - 2007.

We asked Gypsies and Travellers to tell us what education and training they needed to improve their skill and work opportunities. Over 100 people signed-up for over 30 different courses. These included: Animal Care, Horse Management, Carriage Driving, Landscape Construction, Chainsaw,

I. T., Web Design, Long Goods Vehicle Driving, Fork Lift Driving, Truck Driving, Hairdressing, Teaching, Beauty Therapy, Bricklaying, Garden Design, Vibrational Medicine and First Aid.

How we started