Overview

• Following years of planning refusals, a court ruled in the family’s favour against Medway Council to grant permanent occupancy of the disused Wigmore Coach Park in Kent
• Medway Council spent almost £100,000 of public funds on legal fees opposing the family’s stay before losing the landmark case
• The judgment marks the first time the Hagell family have obtained a long-term base after decades of a semi-nomadic lifestyle
• Oldy and Tina Herring have refuted TV-driven myths—such as wedding “grabbing”—and showcased genuine customs including jumping broomstick ceremonies, communal storytelling and rigorous cleanliness
• Councillor Satinder Shokar and advocates warn that institutionalized racism within authorities has long obstructed the Romani Gypsy community’s right to settle