THERE is still something magical about a circus - the big top, the flags fluttering, the animals, clowns, and the high wire acts.

Whenever the long procession of wagons moves into a town it still brings an air of excitement with it. But keeping the show on the road is a much more down-to-earth affair.

Kitty Roberts, daughter of Bobby Roberts, granddaughter of Bobby Roberts Snr is the ninth generation of her family to be in the circus.

She's been a high wire artiste, done a solo trapeze act and is currently training a troupe of 13 dogs for a new act in Bobby Roberts' Circus as it travels round the country.

She's also the mother of three children, with another on the way. Every week they're in a different town, moving in, setting up and then moving on again - two weeks ago, she was in Darlington; last week, in Middlesbrough; this week, in Whitley Bay and then on up into Scotland. Yet she can't imagine any other way of life. "It's all I've ever known. I was born into it and I love it," she says.

Not only has she travelled all over Britain, but much of her childhood was spent travelling in Europe, including a year in France where they were in a different town every day. "I got to see a lot of the country but I have to admit I didn't always know which bit I was in," she says.

Although the circus is still flourishing in this country, it's not regarded in the same way as in many other countries, where it's considered an art form.

"They are more valued there. France, for instance, has just given a £2m grant to the Paris circus. I can't imagine that happening in this country," says Kitty wistfully.

Husband Istvan Sallai is also part of the circus. He comes from a famous Hungarian circus family. "When my father booked him as an act, he didn't realise he was booking me a husband too. But that's what circus life is like. We spend a lot of time together, we socialise together. We share the same way of life, which isn't always easy for outsiders to understand," she says.

Not least the hard work. Everything has a strict routine - wagons moving in and out in the same order, with everything always set up in the same place around the big top. "But it can sometimes take a day and half non-stop to get sorted. There's just no other way of doing it. We sometimes have people wanting to come and work for us, but it's not easy for them to get used to it," says Kitty.

In term-time, her main responsibility is finding a school for six-year-old Angel.

"You can plan it all ahead, but I find the easiest way is just to go out at 8.30 on Monday morning and look for a lollipop lady and then ask the school to take the children for a week."

As well as Angel, there are two other junior school age children in the circus, a Mongolian and a Romanian.

"Most schools are very happy about it. The children have records of what work they're doing And circus children tend to be confident and outgoing. They're used to getting on with people from all countries and backgrounds. They fit in easily and most schools find it interesting to have the circus children there for a while," says Kitty.

"I just buy them standard grey school clothes - that usually helps them blend in in most places."

From November through to March, the family live in some style at their permanent home in Northamptonshire. "The neighbours like it when they see all the wagons trundling down the lanes because they know they'll soon see the animals back in the fields," says Kitty.

Older daughter Summer, 12, goes to a good local school while at home but while she's on the road, she doesn't go to school but keeps in touch with her teachers by computer. "Her teachers are very supportive and it works well," says Kitty.

The children manage to make friends, even in their brief time in schools. Two weeks ago in Darlington, for instance, Summer was out riding with a friend she made last time the circus was in town.

"And there are bonuses about always moving on - no time for peer pressure or to get into a bad set," says Kitty.

Summer, who's horse mad, already has her own circus act. "A big and little - big horse, small pony. Circus children are always playing at circuses. They play on the trapeze, help with the animals, and are always making up little acts. It's just part of life," says Kitty.

"And I think it's a good life for children. They're travelling round, learning about the world, but they're always safe in the world of the circus. There are about 50 of us here and there's always someone for them to play with, someone to look after them. My mum and dad run this circus so my children have their parents and grandparents always with them, but the whole circus is like a family."

The family has 13 dogs, a parrot "and a stable full of horses", so day-to-day life is pretty busy - even without tickets to sell, acts to practise and a performance to put on. And there are other small details.

"Organising 120 bales of hay a week, 40 bales of straw, and then getting rid of all that manure," says Kitty.

Cleanliness and tidiness is another big issue. "We don't even hang our washing out. My father wouldn't allow it. We're not gypsies or travellers, he says. We're circus people and have standards."

For now, the big wagons are homes from home. "We have power supplies or our own generators, so we have washing machines, satellite television, driers, computers, just like anyone else."

"Of course, there are times - maybe when we're knee-deep in mud or something's gone wrong and we've worked non-stop without any sleep for 36 hours when I think, 'Well maybe it would be nice to work in Tesco', but not very often," says Kitty.

"Being in the circus is a wonderful way of life. I can't imagine any other."

* Bobby Roberts' Circus is in Earsdon Road, Whitley Bay from tonight until Sunday. Tonight only, all tickets are £4. Tel: (07860) 787745.