Oxford student Shelby back in family business

AFAI RGROUND worker who went to Oxford will be back manning the carousel within weeks despite finishing her degree at one of the world’s top universities.

Shelby Holmes, from Towyn, in Conwy, made it to Oxford despite missing almost half her schooling and studying on the road between fairs.

She will now spend 15 months on the fair before she hopes to start a master’s degree in Art History at Oxford in September 2016.

The student completed her English Literature degree in early June.

Her family run a Towyn caravan park and used to operate an arcade in the resort.

Shelby, whose mum Kim left school aged 10 and dad Michael at 14, said: “I’m going to go back to the fairground for a little bit and work to get some money because I’m a poor student now.

“It’ll be one of the best jobs I can do. I know it very well. My mum and dad are desperate to have me back for a few months so I’ll be quite happy to go back into that.”

Despite Oxford’s posh image - in 2014 43.7% of the students accepted there were from public schools even though these educate just 7% of the entire school population - Shelby insists she had no problems fitting in.

She said: “I found 99% of the people were absolutely spot on and brilliant. There were only a couple of people really that were weirdly posh.

“Most people were brilliant and very interested in my culture, wanted to know more and were very curious about it.”

Some in the showman community, which is about 200,000 families strong, are still illiterate and there is no further education tradition, although there are some travelling schools.

Shelby, 21, who took time off to work on the fairs while at Oxford, is keen to encourage others in the community to continue their education.

She said: “I definitely think improved access (to education) is something I’ll be looking towards when I go back for the next 15 months - talking to the younger people, who are thinking about GCSEs and A levels.”

Shelby admits she has been “changed” by university and doesn’t see herself following all of the community’s traditions.

A separate group to gypsies, showmen have a distinct culture of their own and Shelby says the norm is to “marry in”.

But marrying an outsider is no longer unheard of and Shelby, who is single, believes this is the more likely outcome for her. Shelby’s sister Navenka, 25, married in.

Shelby, who hopes to become a curator at a National Trust country home, added: “After three years I’ve got to say my conclusion is that most men are pretty much the same.

“I think if a showman comes up and he’s the right kind of guy then yes, but I think, perhaps, leaning more towards marrying out.

“Oxford is such a strange place and higher education is such a thing in itself that it would be nice to marry someone who has also experienced higher education.”

For now she stresses she’s “really happy” to be getting on with her life on her own.

Shelby admits one of the most noticeable changes for those who knew her before Oxford has been to her accent.

She said parents Kim, 56, and Michael, 52, think her new posh voice is “hilarious”.

Shelby added: “Anyone when surrounded by people who speak in a certain way can’t help but pick up the same accent.

“I think it’s just a subconscious thing, but I don’t think it’s a permanent change because when I go back home I go straight back to Lancashire.”