'GYPSIES don't pay tax', 'Gypsies are dirty' and 'Gypsies are an eyesore', are all criticisms and insults Linda Broadway has had to endure throughout her life.

The mother-of-three is a Romany Gypsy and her family have lived in Devon for more than 200 years.

Although she calls Devon home, much of her life has been spent travelling until more recently.

The main reasons for settling are that it is no longer so easy for gypsies and travellers to travel, and wanting her children to have a stable education.

The pride Linda has when she talks of her children, now 32, 27 and 23, is clear, especially as her youngest has had a university education which is very rare in the Gypsy and traveller community.

She is now working as a runner for Universal in London, and her other two daughters have managerial jobs.

Linda, 56, said: "I'm so proud of them. My biggest achievement is my three daughters.

"I can't see them ever travelling because it's so hard, which is why so few families are doing it.

"But parts of the Gypsy heritage are so ingrained in them it will always be there, even if they do settle and marry a non-Gypsy."

Linda comes from a family of four children. Her father, a tarmac layer, died when she was young and her childhood was spent travelling during the summer months and settling with extended family and friends during the winter months.

When Linda left school at 11 she followed in the Gypsy tradition of hawking – selling goods. Linda said she was much happier than being at school.

She recalled: "I went to lots of different schools. The shortest time I was at one school was a day.

"At my last school there were one or two girls who were really quite nasty. They used to call me a 'dirty Gypsy' which really upset me as we washed every night before going to bed and our mum was very particular about our clothes."

The myth about gypsies being dirty is just one of many Linda has spent her life trying to ignore.

She has also strived to educate people about their culture. There are many different groups of travellers living in Britain – the main ones being Romany Gypsies, new travellers and showmen.

Each group faces a high level of discrimination and prejudice in their daily lives. They also experience great difficulty in maintaining their lifestyle and heritage.

Romany Gypsies first came to Britain in the 1500s and served in the British Army in both world wars.

Among the myths associated with Gypsies is they are thieves and criminals. There is no evidence in police statistics of higher crime rates amongst gypsies than the general population.

Another popular misconception is Gypsies don't pay tax. Like everyone else, Gypsies pay road tax, council tax, VAT on goods and services, and income tax when they are working or self-employed.

A common criticism also regularly heard is Gypsies are an eyesore.

The large encampments are often oversubscribed with about 21 per cent of Gypsies and travellers in the UK not able to find anywhere legal to put their caravans.

All these issues are ones Linda is able to address in her job as a sessional trainer for Plymouth and Devon Racial Equality Council.

Part of her role is visiting local primary schools to educate them about Gypsies and travellers.

Linda, who lives in Mid Devon on a site with her husband and two of their children, said: "I love it because it gives me a chance to be a granny. I show the children different pictures of gypsies and teach them about the history of Romany people.

"I also show them how to make paper flowers which is a traditional Gypsy craft.

"At their age they have hardly any prejudices. But within the space of a year of starting secondary school children take on all the stereotypes. It happens without fail.

"The younger you can educate children the better equipped they are about the facts rather than leaving them exposed to myths that have been around since the Victorian times.

"If I could say one thing to people it would be take us as you find us.

"Get to know us before you judge us. We are all different; we are individuals."

See tomorrow's paper for an interview with Gypsy Clarence Ware and his continuing fight for planning permission to provide a home for his family.