Back End Reflections: Reflections of the Atchin Tan Project

Winter — or as the Romanichals call it, the back end — has arrived.

And just like most Rumneys, there’s a certain longing that comes with this time of year. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what it is. Maybe it’s the stillness, maybe it’s the remembering. This season always brings a pull to look back, to take stock of what has been and gone and a wanting for what's next.

Now that we’ve reached the end of the Atchin Tan Project, I’ve been reminded by more than one person — whether from our team or those who have become lifelong friends — to sit back and take in everything that’s been achieved.

As I look out of my window this cold and rainy November afternoon, watching the near-bare trees sway, I’m reminded of the beautiful summer that’s  just passed — a summer full of memories and milestones. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that a simple conversation almost 13 years ago between my mother, now nearing 80, and my cousin, who had just lost his father, would spark what became the Atchin Tan Heritage Project.

That chat — about his father’s wish to return to the common — lit a fire that’s burned ever since deep inside me.

I never expected to find someone who, like me, felt the same desperate need to fight for our history, heritage, and people — people who have been assimilated for generations. That person was John Henry Philips. A incredible intelligent deeply humble British Romany man who is so in love with our culture it just pours from him, the way he brings our heritage to life through his poetic narration  it's truly a gift to be in his presence, and we are eternally grateful for his advocacy.

I’m usually quick to rush from one achievement to the next — that Pride of Romany spirit always driving me forward — but this time, because of how deeply personal it’s been, I’m taking a moment to pause, reflect and take stock on how important this project has been.

I think of moments like the plaque unveiling, when the very spirit of our people seemed to surround us; or the way a single photograph of my mother’s eyes captured the depth of what it all meant to her as she pulled the romany flag unveilinga plaque that now stands on her birthplace. I think of the film, and how Charles Newland managed to turn the wild ideas from inside my “mad professor head” into something real — something that earned rapturous applause at its premiere.

And I think of our incredible team — people who have stood behind every idea, every concept, always willing, always championing Pride of Romany.

This time last year, I felt uneasy — surrounded by people who weren’t part of Pride of Romany for the right reasons. But that, too, has passed. Those who stayed, stayed because they believe. They’re here for the long run.

Now, we’ve gained support from across the globe and created something that will — and already has — cemented Pride of Romany as the only Romany-led Romanichal organisation in the world.

And for that, my heart is full.

Charmaine