When François and Linda Collet decided to move permanently to France from
England they knew that they would be looking not only for a comfortable home,
but also a suitable base to start up a business in which they both could be
fully involved.
François, Paris born
and educated, had lived in England for nearly thirty years. With a background as
a lecturer teaching adult French in southern England, he had long dreamed of
running his own small residential French language school. In France, of
course!
Linda needed
little or no persuading of the benefits of moving across the channel- the couple
had owned a small cottage in a quiet area of Picardie known as Le Petit Poyenval
for several years, using it as a holiday home and occasional retreat. She had
always been keen on the idea of living in a typically French-style house and
running a small chambres d'hôtes alongside the language
school.
For their
business venture to succeed they needed an area with easy access for students
from England and elsewhere, as well as the weather and attractions that visitors
to the chambres d'hôtes would expect. Convenient though the cottage might
be it was totally unsuitable - somewhere else must be found! The search for
premises large enough, attractive enough and (above all) French enough to meet
their needs started in earnest at the beginning of 2001.
Early in their search they
decided to concentrate on the Vendée, in the Western Loire - an area with good
accessibility and a microclimate offering some of the best year-round weather in
France. After looking at several unsuitable houses they were given details of an
old country house in the village of Bazoges-en-Pareds, close to Chantonnay and
surrounded by beautiful countryside.
The house was ideal. Sitting prominently on a corner near
the centre of the village, it had been used previously as a small, private
nursing home. With a traditional French 'feel' and well-established, landscaped
grounds, it had been known locally as Le Petit Chateau.
Lounge, dining room, kitchen and
breakfast-room were large enough to cope with both residential language students
and a number of holidaying guests. Ten bedrooms would meet their needs, although
redecoration and improvements to the plumbing would be required. Two of the
bedrooms occupied the top floor, making it possible for François and Linda to
retain some privacy from visitors.
"Once we saw it we knew straight away that it was exactly
what we had in mind," Linda recalls. "We just hoped that we could make it happen
- we stopped looking at anything else."
The large grounds contained a greenhouse, chicken run, and
various other outbuildings. A solidly built, old stone barn alongside the house
added to the visual appeal of the property but was derelict with no immediate
use. Gradually, however, they realised that here was added potential part of the
barn was easily large enough to be modified into two substantial gîtes
for holiday rental.
On the day that they moved in to their new home they began to meet the
unexpected. They had assumed that the previous owner would leave behind basic
fixtures and fittings, but that was not to be. Lights had been removed, as had
kitchen units: the kitchen was bare except for taps over the space where a sink
once had been! François and Linda spent the first night in their new home
sleeping on the floor of one of the bedrooms in sleeping bags. They had no
furniture or equipment nothing apart from their cat Meisa, two wine glasses and
the few things they had brought with them in their car. "It was a nightmare,"
laughs Linda. "We sat on the floor and drank a bottle of wine, not sure whether
to laugh or cry!"
With the arrival of the first of their possessions three days later
normality started to return and they were able to begin the process of settling
in. Bazoges-en-Pareds is a living village, with several shops and an active
community; they found the villagers friendly and immediately helpful, interested
in them and what they had come to do. The fact that François is French might
have helped there, although he believes that being a Parisien makes him more
foreign than an Englishman!
Before leaving England François had been busy promoting the new language
school, using contacts at home, advertising, and a newly created website. Their
first booking established a deadline for having the main parts of the house
completed and usable, and they had set aside three weeks to get key rooms into
an acceptable condition. Priority was given to the kitchen; François fitted
kitchen units and appliances obtained from a supplier in nearby
Fontenay-le-Comte and before long the kitchen was usable both for cooking and
eating. A downstairs bedroom was converted into a spacious
classroom.
"Our
first student arrived just four weeks after we moved in, for a one week course.
We had made a lot of progress and there was still plenty to be done but all went
well. Le Poyenval passed its first working test!"
Early on they decided that they
wanted to rename their house not always a common practice in France. Their
former neighbours at the cottage in Le Petit Poyenval in Picardie had donated a
sign to put outs=7 ROWSPAN=1 WIDTH=102 HEIGHT=ide the house: Le Poyenval.
François and Linda waanted this to be the name both of their new home and of
their business. "From then on it really felt like home," says Linda.
Even though the house had been
in use as a nursing home none of the bedrooms had its own bathroom facilities -
and it was with the plumbing that they ran into one of their first
problems.
François
explains: "We worked out the changes that we needed to provide en suite
facilities in some of the bedrooms. A local builder agreed to call - but when he
came it was just to tell us that he was very busy and that he would return again
after several months to prepare a quotation. We were horrified! We needed to be
able to accept students and guests as soon as possible. We asked around, and
found that the situation was typical."
Reluctantly they decided to use builders from England for
the first phase. "That did not go as well as we had hoped. There were several
problems with leaking joints before the work was finished, but everything was
put right eventually. We worked with local builders and tradesmen from then
on."
Once the
building and restoration work on the house was in hand it was time to start on
the stone barn alongside destined to become two gîtes. Plans were drawn
up (using a local architect) and agreed. Major tasks would include the
installation of mains services such as water and electricity, as well as the
creation of bedrooms and living rooms.
"All went well the work was completed on time and although
slightly over budget we were delighted with the results. The first gîte
was occupied eighteen months after we moved into Le Poyenval."
Since their first student there
has been a steady stream - both of students and of holidaymakers enjoying the
Vendée countryside. Many of the students are themselves considering a move to
France and are keen to improve their French.
"All our visitors enjoy staying
in a village community. Students are given 'tasks' to visit the village shops
and practise their French, and the locals have welcomed them. It brings life and
interest into the village."
Integration with the local community has been important throughout, and
both François and Linda have involved themselves with their new neighbours at
every opportunity. This has applied not only to the French, but also to many of
the English people already living nearby. A keen gardener, Linda has enjoyed
resurrecting a former potager (kitchen garden) and introducing chickens
to provide fresh produce for their students and guests. In doing so she has
exchanged gardening ideas picking up local methods in return for those used this
side of the channel.
Further local involvement has come about through offering tuition to
others living in the area. François has been teaching French to small groups of
English people now living in the area, and Linda (who gained a Teaching English
as a Foreign Language qualification before moving to France) basic English to a
number of French locals.
For both François and Linda the move to Le Poyenval has been successful
in every way. "We enjoy living here, in a beautiful village amongst some very
friendly people, and feel that we have achieved a lot in a short
time!"
Grahame Stovold
