‘Showmen’ is a colloquial term that describes individuals with a rich heritage of living
and working within the travelling fairground community, whether they still travel for
their work or are more based in a fixed location. The Showmen community has a rich
historical culture, traditions, dialect, and governing bodies. The Showmen’s identity
emerged from a melting pot of social classes, including notable performers (travelling
actors), artists, circus folk, and market traders.
The materialisation of the “Showmen”, often referred to as “Show-People” “,
fairground people” and “Showmen travellers”, developed over generations. The
interwoven profession and community, coupled with hereditary inheritance of the
culture, formulated this collection of backgrounds into a distinguishable identity first
recognised on the UK census under small populations in 2021.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/ethnicity/adh
ocs/1745peoplewhoidentifiedasshowmanoncensus2021
Although they are much more than this, hear from the community by following the
link to the video developed with Manchester Care Organisation and Nice Cat Media