A Grantham councillor joined in with other colleagues to hear about the discrimination faced by Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.

A Zoom meeting staged on the issue by the Stamford Anti-Racism Group (SARG), which included invited 16-year-old Ollie Malik, a Roma Actor and Activist who featured in the BBC young reporter podcast.

A local Romani SARG member, student and human rights volunteer Nicola Muer, also contributed.

A number of Stamford & Rutland Amnesty members attended as well as SARG members including four SKDC local councillors.

The councillors were Cllr Amanda Wheeler (Lib Dem aligned with Independents- Stamford St George's), Cllr Phil Dilks (Ind- Deeping St James), Cllr Ashley Baxter (Ind- Market and West Deeping) and Cllr Louise Clack (Labour & Cooperative- Grantham Earlesfield)

Most recently, Ollie had a lead role as 'The Boy' in film 'The Deathless Woman' by Roz Mortimer.

Trisha Tuttle, a BFI London Film Festival Director has described the film as: "A powerful and poetic account of WWII Roma genocide and its contemporary resurrection."

In the BBC young reporter podcast, Ollie talked about being Roma – "a culture filled with a rich tradition and strong family values, yet often portrayed in negative ways."

SARG was able to organise the Zoom with the support of Suzanna King from Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) who directed the play Crystal's Vardo.

The photograph shows the character, Crystal, and her Vardo: a traditional horse-drawn wagon.

SARG Events Coordinator, Yvette Diaz-Munoz, says "I recently attended a zoom about the Inclusion of GRT histories in the school curriculum organised by FFT.

"There's so much negative portrayal of the GRT community, particularly in the press and on social media. It was inspirational to hear Ollie talk about howproud he is to be Roma both in that zoom and on ours."

"The GRT SARG zoom also highlighted the ways that our local GRT community is affected and disproportionately represented for example in the criminal justice system. We discussed the shortage of authorised pitches causing encampments to appear in less suitable locations as well as how to promote better understanding between members of the GRT community and the rest of the local population."

Stamford and Rutland Amnesty International described the zoom as "a really eye-opening discussion."

Cllr Amanda Wheeler said "It was a frank and interesting discussion. I think what impressed me was the passion and intelligence of the two speakers. They are both committed to pursuing careers in public service and are incredible role models. I would love to see Nicola stand for local council!"

The Traveller Movement explains: "Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities are minority ethnic groups that have contributed to British society for centuries. Their distinctive way of life and traditions manifest themselves in nomadism, the centrality of their extended family, unique languages and entrepreneurial economy.

"It is reported that there are around 300,000 (One in 200 people) Travellers in the UK and they are one of the most disadvantaged groups."

Crystal Vardo's Teaching Materials and Information Pack, points out:

• An estimated 75% of Gypsy Roma and Traveller people live in houses.

• According to Ofsted Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children remain the most at risk of being bullied within the school community.

• A survey carried out by Traveller Movement, found that, in 2017, 77 per cent had experienced hate speech or a hate crime

• The Roma people are the largest ethnic minority group in Europe. Recent estimates of the size of the Romani population worldwide suggest a figure of around 15 million. Many Roma people conceal the fact that they are Roma out of fear of racism.