MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice.

Dale Farm Biographies

Richard Sheridan

Richard Sheridan, 37, is the President of the Dale Farm Housing Association. He has been living at Dale Farm for over five years. He was born in Birmingham and is an antique dealer by trade. Mr Sheridan is also a school Governor for the local Crays Hill Primary School and a member of the Gypsy Council.

Mr Sheridan strongly believes that Local Councils throughout England are undertaking a serious miscarriage of justice through their treatment of Traveler communities.

In the case of Dale Farm, the Basildon District Council refuses to comply with the 2004 Housing Act which stipulates that housing pitches must be provided for all Travelers. Mr Sheridan is also concerned about why the over 56 million pounds allocated in 2005 for the restoration and development of Traveler sites was not utilized by the government.   

Mr Sheridan wants his children to continue to attend school, a right granted to Traveler children the 2000 Education Act; however, he feels that this will be impossible in the event of any future eviction unless adequate accommodation sites where Travelers can relocate are developed. 

Mr Sheridan is the recipient of numerous community awards for his work on behalf of Travelers. Most notably, he was honored by the Basildon Community for his work in installing both fire extinguishers and alarms in every property at Dale Farm.

Jimmy Sheridan

Jimmy, 10, is one of the many adolescent boys currently living at Dale Farm. 

Distressingly, Jimmy has already stopped attending school and is unwillingly to return.  The racial slurs that Jimmy received while in school coupled with a lack of pressure from his family to continue his studies, have left Jimmy without an education. 

While spending the majority of his time working with his relatives in the antique business, Jimmy doesn’t see a future for himself in England. 

When he gets older, Jimmy aspires to work abroad, where he won’t be discriminated against on the basis of his ethnicity.

John Sheridan

John, 4, is one of the many young children presently living at Dale Farm. John was born at Dale Farm and has neither traveled nor lived at any other location his entire life. Members of the community fear that the trauma associated with any forceful eviction undertaken at Dale Farm could have negative consequences on young children such as John. 

John already attends kindergarten once a week at the local Crays Hill primary school and will start attending five days a week beginning with the upcoming fall term. 

Due to the restrictions placed upon them by local authorities, Travelers are no longer able to travel from location to location as before. They realize that they must embrace a sedentary lifestyle and allow their children the opportunity to attend school on a consistent basis. Travelers see education as the way forward and hope to stay at Dale Farm in order to let children such as John receive the education they never obtained.

Kathleen (Pearl) McCarthy

Mrs McCarthy, 45, has been living at Dale Farm for over five years. She is the Spokeswoman for the  Dale Farm Housing Association and organizes meetings with the press and other media outlets on behalf of the entire community. She has two daughters and two sons. 

Mrs McCarthy was born in Birmingham and traveled throughout England before settling at Dale Farm. She lives with her mother and four sisters at Dale Farm. 

Mrs McCarthy wants to see everyone at Dale Farm left alone. She realizes that the Traveling lifestyle is no longer maintainable and now views Dale Farm as her permanent residence. Mrs McCarthy is concerned that elderly Travelers living at Dale Farm won’t survive a forceful eviction. She is also troubled by the rising level of racism that she has witnessed among local communities as the saga at Dale Farm continues to go unresolved. 

Mrs McCarthy enjoys living together with members of her family at Dale Farm.  She feels that if an eviction occurs, the support structure that she and other members of her family have developed would become significantly strained, causing serious hardships for both the elderly and young.

After five years of residence at Dale Farm, she has become accustomed to having running water, electricity and other amenities associated with a settled lifestyle. She views Dale Farm as her home and wants to stay.

Eileen McCarthy

Hi! My name is Eileen and I am seven years old. I live at Dale Farm with my Mom, Dad and brother. I like to skip rope and ride my bike with my friends. My Granny lives next door to me and I sometimes go over and watch the tele with her. I have a brother and he is a wild boy!

I like Dale Farm because all of my friends are here. I like my school and my favourite subject is Math. All of my family lives at Dale Farm and I feel safe here. I don’t want to leave.


Mary Anne McCarthy

Mary Anne, 61, is one of the oldest female Travelers living at Dale Farm. Born in Ireland, Mary Anne moved to England when she was five and traveled throughout England before settling at Dale Farm six years ago.

Like many other Travelers living at Dale Farm, Mary Anne lives in a chalet, inhibiting her from moving her home to another site if a forceful eviction occurs. Tragically, Mary Anne’s husband died two year ago, rendering her dependent on her children for financial support.

For many Travelers in Mary Anne’s age demographic, a forceful eviction represents serious threat. If Travelers like Mary Anne are separated from the support systems that they have created at Dale Farm, it is feared that they will not survive. They are no longer young and need a permanent location on which to reside peacefully.

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