📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Inside a lovely little French village, the castle of Montaigu le Blin is an impressive medieval fortress, classified as Historical Monument. It is located on the top of a hill, overlooking the countryside. Since 2002, volunteers have been participating, every summer, to the restoration of the castle. These last years, the fortress has regained its beauty! Since the 80s, volunteers come every year to restore and protect the castle. These last couple of years, volunteers restored the castle walls using traditional masonry techniques and developped the medieval vegetable garden at the bottom of the Lord's tower. This year, it's your turn to live an experience back in time!
💼 What the programme involves
Participate to the protection and enhancement of this breathtaking heritage! Within the castle, you will realize various works of restoration of walls (ramparts, towers) using traditional techniques and help maintain the vegetation (clearing bushes, etc.) as well as many other varied tasks. There are no special skills required for the work, it's just an opportunity to learn.
Beyond this work, you will reflect together on sustainable development using traditional techniques in the restoration of the fortress, but also in the daily life of the group. Campleaders will guide you along the project. You will also take part in the touristic activities of the site by welcoming the visitors (tourists and local inhabitants) in the castle and explain the work, show the progress you have been doing the last few weeks! Protecting this piece of heritage takes time, and a lot of energy. Come contribute to its rebuilding !
🏠 Accommodation on site
Accommodation is under tents (1 person per tent) at the town stadium lent by the Town Hall. Tents will be provided. You will have to bring other camping material (ground sheet, sleeping bag, etc.). You, volunteer, are actor/actress of your project ! You will manage the tasks of daily life in teams (shopping, cooking, and cleaning). A rotation will be organised by the campleaders to ensure the smooth running of daily life. The objective is to gain autonomy and that everyone acts individually to allow a good collective functioning!
All together, you will think about how to work, feed everyone, have fun, get around, visit the region in the most environnementaly and human-friendly way.
A building on the field includes a kitchen room, 2 showers and 2 toilets for the group.
📍 About the location
Montaigu-le-Blin is located in the French Bourbonnais area, 30km North from Vichy and 90km North from Clermont-Ferrand, in the French Auvergne region. It is a countryside rich with historical heritage, which you will be able to discover by visiting a few of the numerous castles and medieval cities, by hiking, going by bike or canoeing, according to what the leading team and the weather can propose. The inhabitants of the village are used to welcome volunteers from all over the world come every summer. You will pick up bread from the innkeeper Didier, ask for eggs on a Sunday evening to Monique, the weather the next day to Jean-Pascal, show your progress to Jean Louis who is passionate about the castle, you will feast with the fruits and vegetables offered by the local gardeners...and so much more!
The campleaders will prepare games and activities for the group but will also encourage you to propose and build your own activities according to your desires. Bring ideas and be creative !
⚠️ Requirements
no access for wheelchairs
