Brittany Pages - October 2012

95c | ISSUE 15 | OCTOBER 2012

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News and What’s On for Côtes d’Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan

Fierce legal battle holds up regional airport plan

Village hits web in search for baker A SMALL village south of Rennes has turned to the internet in a last-ditch attempt to bring fresh bread to locals for the first time in 18 months.

Like many small villages in rural Brittany, Boistrudan, near Janzé, has seen its shop and bar close but when the bakery shut, villagers were particularly outraged.

The latest initiative from the mayor Constant Saffray has been to place adverts on a wide range of online sites to try to attract a boulanger to the village. He said he was determined to revive the heart of the village: “If we get a new baker there will be a new sign of life, a place to give people a reason to stop and talk and to move here.”

His secretary Anne-Marie Legourd said that although there has been a lot of interest, she thinks people are put off by the lack of other facilities in the village and they need a new baker quickly to prevent people getting used to buying their bread elsewhere.

Older people were upset that their daily habit of picking up a baguette came to a halt and others felt that the quality of the bread from supermarkets just was not up to scratch.  Turn to page 2

by RAY CLANCY

History hangs by a thread Embroiderer keeping traditions alive P24

A CONTROVERSIAL project to build a major new international airport 90km south of Rennes is being met with a legal fight by protestors.

The battle is becoming increasingly acrimonious both on a local and political level with national political parties criticising each other over the e556m development in Notre-Damedes-Landes, which would serve millions of residents in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire.

Protestors are prepared to keep their campaign going for at least another two years and say they will do all they can to prevent houses and farmland being requisitioned.

One man has been jailed, another has been banned from protesting for a year, several have been on a month-long hunger strike and others are ready to resist CRS police teams who are rumoured to be preparing to remove them from their homes and land.

Work on the new airport between Rennes

and Nantes was scheduled to start at the end of this year but that has now been put back to 2014 with an opening date of 2017 after delays caused by public inquiries and local protests.

Those in favour of the airport, including France’s new prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault – a former mayor of Nantes – point out that the new airport will create jobs not just in the immediate vicinity but throughout the region as well as benefiting millions of people within a two-hour radius.

They also point out that bigger planes and more choice will give people access to all the major European cities. It will be popular with many Brittany residents as an easier alternative to using Paris Orly or Charles de Gaulle airport.  Turn to page 4

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Contents News What’s On Feature Leisure Time

1-7 8-11 12-13, 24 14

Food and Pets 15 Directory 16-17 Home and Garden 18-19 Property and Finance 20-23

Useful Numbers 02 98 76 29 29 | Côtes d’Armor - 1 place du Général de Gaulle, BP 2370, 22023 ST BRIEUC CEDEX 1, Tel: 02 96 62 44 22 | Morbihan - 24 place de la République, 56019 VANNES CEDEX, Tel: 02 97 54 84 00 | Ille et Vilaine - 3 avenue de la Préfecture 35026 RENNES CEDEX 9 Tel: 02 99 02 10 35 OTHER HELP IN ENGLISH Counselling in France: for a qualified therapist near you or counselling over the telephone; www.counsellinginfrance.com SOS Help: similar to the Samaritans, listeners who are professionally trained, Tel 01 46 21 46 46; www.soshelpline.org No Panic France: for help with anxiety disorders; Tel: 02 51 28 80 25, www. nopanic.org.uk Alcoholics Anonymous: An English-speaking Alcoholics Anonymous group meet at the Mairie at Paule, 10 Km from Carhaix in Finisterre (29). The open meetings are weekly on Tuesdays at 14:00; there is wheelchair access. Cancer Support France: for advice and someone to talk to: www.cancersupportfrance.info National Office Email: cancersupportfrance@orange.fr, Tel: 05 45 89 30 05 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association Forces (SSAFA): In France: 05 53 01 64 54, Email: france@ssafa.org.uk AVF: help with integration into French life; www.avf. asso.fr OTHER INFO Yellow Pages: www.pagesjaunes.fr Speaking clock: 3699. Weather: 08 92 68 02 + dept. number. Last incoming call on your phone: 3131, then ‘5’ if you wish to connect.

BRITISH CONSULATE British Consular Services, Paris: Postal address: British Embassy, BP111-08, 75363 Paris Cedex 08. Tel: 01 44 51 31 00 Tel (after hours Emergency Service only): 01 44 51 31 00 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS THIS MONTH None

Brittany Clubs and Associations Association Dis-Want Scrignac Meeting Monday evenings during school term times at Scrignac school, a mixed French and English discussion group.

Informal atmosphere and special events including excursions. Pauline Bruce: 02 98 78 20 02. www.diswantscrignac. blogspot.com Association Giroulis: Jeu de Peindre Play of Painting: A different approach to painting (using the Arno Stern method), open to all giving the opportunity to paint as freely as possible, for oneself with natural colours.

Maryse Prat: 02 98 93 90 60 www.giroulisatelierpeinturebretagne.overblog.com Cine Club Part of the Franco-American Institute in Rennes: free and open to members of the institute. English language films once a month on a Thursday (details are on the website, which is always kept up to date).

At 7, Quai Chateaubriand, Rennes (35).

Marie de la Villebrunes: 02 99 79 89 23

www.ifa-rennes.org Club Cricket de l’Oust Cricket Club based in Serent (56).

Friendly games of cricket throughout the summer against other teams based in north-west France and also against UK touring teams.

Jon Ward: 02 97 70 61 38 www.brittanycricket.com brittanycricket@wanadoo.fr Compagnie Legitime Folie Drama club for all ages. Situated at 135bis boulevard Jacques Cartier, Rennes (35).

Blandine Jet: 02 99 51 99 29 www.legitime-folie.fr legitime-folie@wanadoo.fr Kora Cantas The adults’ choir at the Carhaix Music School. All welcome, whatever your experience, but basses are urgently needed! Practices on Monday evenings from 19:30 - 21:30.

Elizabeth Conan: 02 98 93 08 20

by RAY CLANCY Buying local honey is set to become more expensive as beekeepers in Brittany report that they are expecting a disappointing season.

Last year was not brilliant for honey production but the rain this summer means that bees are dying and those that are managing to survive are producing less honey. It will mean that reserves of honey will be low this year and there is likely to be less local produce on sale at markets and in shops.

The main problem was the rain early in the season when plants were beginning to flower, which meant the bees were late leaving their hives, according to Ludovic Fauvel, president of the beekeepers’ union for Ille-et-Villaine.

“After the problems of pesticides, parasites and Asian hornets, the drought last year and now the rain, 2012 is likely to be very bad,” he said. “The warmth arrived too late this year.”

The National Union of Beekeepers is predicting it will be the worst honey harvest for 15 years in Brittany because of the weather. The group’s president Yves Vedrenne said: “In May and June the temperature was too cold and it was too humid. Under these conditions the bees do not develop.”

According to Jerôme Mesle, a beekeeper from Gahard, this year is the worst he has experienced in nine years of beekeeping. “In an average season we would

Baker ‘will give new lease of life to village’  From page 1 Over the months several set backs, including a couple wanting to take over the bakery being refused a bank loan, have failed to stop the village from trying to find a new baker.

The commune is helping to finance the new venture. Mr Saffray said: “We are trying to attract more young people to come and live here but without any commerce in the village that is hard.

“There are currently 14 new homes being built and we are worried that people will be put off by the lack of a bakery.”

Breton clinics fare well in poll A PRIVATE clinic in SaintGrégoire (Ille-et-Vilaine) has been named the best in Brittany in Le Point magazine’s annual league table of France’s top hospitals. Rennes CHU teaching hospital was the best public-sector hospital, coming ninth nationwide out of more than 800 establishments.

Hospitals have to offer a full range of services (specialist care units are excluded) and are judged on 64 criteria, focusing on their medical and surgical offer. Toulouse came top in the annual survey, followed by Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and PitiéSalpétrière in Paris.

France will have to import honey, and fewer bees will have impact on agriculture expect 25kg of honey per hive. We are getting around 10.”

He also added that hives are not being renewed as young queen bees are not becoming fertilised as this takes place outside the hive and it was too wet and too cold this year – so there are none to take over empty hives.

It is even worse for Thibault Jourdain, a beekeeper in the Morbihan. He gave up his job as a baker six months ago to produce honey and he is getting only 6kg of

honey per hive.

He has also been finding some hives empty. “This year is a catastrophe. If a queen bee dies the hive slowly dies too,” he explained.

Mr Vedrenne also pointed out it will mean France having to import more honey from abroad and fewer bees have an impact on agriculture as they are needed to fertilise fruit and vegetable crops. It could even mean beekeepers going out of business.

A cheerful hero: oldest man dies

‘Error’ to close sous-préfecture

Photo: PHOTOPQR/LE TELEGRAMME

EMERGENCY NUMBERS 18: Emergencies: Calls the fire brigade (Sapeurs Pompiers), but they deal with medical emergencies and are usually the first port of call in rural areas. 112: Emergency calls from your mobile: Be ready with your name and where you are calling from and do not hang up until told to do so. 17: Police (gendarmes). 119: Child abuse. 1616: Sea and lake rescue.

01 40 05 48 48: Anti-poison centre (Paris) 08 10 33 30 + your department number (eg 76 for Seine-Maritime): Gas & electricity emergencies UTILITIES FRANCE TELECOM Website in English: www.francetelecom.com To report a fault online: www.1013.fr (click on the UK flag). English-speaking helpline: 09 69 36 39 00 (from France); + 33 1 55 78 60 56 (outside France).

ORANGE: English-speaking helpline: 09 69 36 39 00. SFR: 1023 (+ 33 6 10 00 10 23 from outside France).

FREE: 1044. Bouygues: 1034. EDF: 24 hour breakdown line: 08 10 33 30 87; Helpline in English: 05 62 16 49 08; From outside France: + 33 5 62 16 49 08; Email: simpleenergywithedf@edf.fr GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS CAISSE D’ALLOCATIONS FAMILIALES CAF: www.caf.fr; Tel: 08 10 25 14 10.

L’ASSURANCE MALADIE (AMELI, formerly known as CPAM – the health service): www.ameli.fr; Tel: 36 46 (Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm) English spoken.

URSSAF: English-language website: www. anglais.urssaf.fr - Finistère - 29455 Brest Cedex, Tel: 02 98 76 42 42 | Côtes d’Armor - Saint-Brieuc, 53, boulevard Clémenceau, 22093 Saint-Brieuc Cedex 9, Tel: 02 96 77 47 01 | Morbihan - Vannes, Zone d’activité de Laroiseau, 2 rue Anita Conti B.P.10323, 56018 Vannes Cedex, Tel: 02 56 56 25 25 | Ille et Vilaine Rennes, 6, rue d’Arbrissel, Quartier Beauregard, 35052 Rennes Cedex 9, Tel: 02 23 46 82 00 PREFECTURE: Finistère - 42 boulevard Dupleix, 29320 QUIMPER CEDEX, Tel:

Brittany beekeepers stung by worst season in 15 years Photo: nicolas_gent/Flickr

With a story, email: brittany@connexionfrance.com (please include a daytime contact number) With a subscription or advert query call: From France: 0800 91 77 56 (freephone) From UK: 0844 256 9881 (4p per minute) or by email: sales@ connexionfrance.com

October 2012

Louis Le Bouëdec had often joked about making it to 111 Tributes have been paid to France’s oldest man, Louis Le Bouëdec, who has died at Ploemeur in the Morbihan aged 109.

Patricia Morel, the head of the Vallon de Breuzent retirement home where he lived for the last 11 years said: “He was a happy man who breathed the joy of life and happiness.

Everyone will remember him.”

She added that despite his age he had still loved to sing and kept other residents entertained and even continued dancing until the age of 104.

She added: “He passed away peacefully in his bed with his son and grandson by his side.

“He really enjoyed life and ever since his 100th birthday he often talked about what he called his three sticks, his 111th birthday. Sadly he

didn’t reach that goal.”

Born in February 1903 in Kersabiec, Mr Le Bouëdec began training as an engineer at what is now the naval defence centre in Lorient.

He was a member of the resistance during the Second World War and had helped lay mines in the area before the arrival of the Germans. His brave work earned him a Légion d’Honneur medal in 1949.

Ploemeur mayor Loïc Le Meur said: “He always shared his good humour with everyone. He was a cheerful man and much loved by the other residents where he stayed.”

His family said in a statement that for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren he will always be remembered as a hero who risked his live for others.

THE prefect of Finistère, JeanJacques Brot, has said it would be “a big error” for the Socialist government to shut down sous-préfecture bases in rural Brittany.

Interior minister Manuel Valls is said to be looking at efficiencies around France, and some of the smaller Breton bases, including Châteaulin (Finistère), Pontivy (Morbihan), Guingamp (Côtes-d’Armor) or Redon (Ille-et-Vilaine) could be under threat now that many administrative procedures can be done online.

Mr Brot said many people who supported change were unaware of the broad range of work that sous-préfectures carry out.

The sous-préfet represents the state at local level and the sous-préfecture is the base for ministrative formalities such as residence permits.

Successive French presidents have talked about trimming this level of the civil service.

Positive side to local seaweed SAINT-Brieuc is to hold a seaweed show next April.

Brittany, with 1,200km of coastline, has its fair share of seaweed, one of the areas lesser-valued treasures.

The organisers hope to promote all subjects seaweed with conferences, talks, paintings, photography and stands promoting seaweed products. There will also be tastings of dishes cooked with seaweed. n Seaweed blight, page 7

Brittany Pages

News 3

October 2012

Finistère first for Leroy Merlin

Cat sanctuary is overwhelmed ANIMAL welfare charity SPA’s branch in Chateaubourg (Ille-et-Vilaine) says it is overwhelmed by the number of abandoned kittens it has received in recent months. It says it has run out of space and blames owners for failing to get their cats sterilised, which costs about e150.

‘Dream job’ in Oz for students TWO young people from the Côtes-d’Armor have won a “dream job” working at a wildlife park in Australia for a month. Marketing students Clémentine, 20, and Simon, 21, from Guingamp and Quessoy respectively, won the competition organised by the Australian tourist board.

After the placement, the pair will spend eight months visiting the rest of the Northern Territory, blogging and filming their experiences.

Big push to hire tourism staff

Court test case planned after row over bilingual documents

A row has broken out over whether or not it is legal to publish and distribute public documents in the Breton language.

It comes after the mayor of Carhaix, Christian Troadec, received a letter from the public prosecutor’s office in Brest asking him to confirm that he is distributing family booklets (livrets de famille, which store all details of a couple’s marriage and children’s births) in French and Breton.

He is now considering taking a test case to court as he and cultural associations find it extraordinary that when there are bilingual road signs and a growing demand for classes in Breton in schools a simple everyday document could cause such a fuss.

A spokesman for the court in Brest said that the letter from deputy prosecutor Marie-Anne Kerisit was not a legal threat but merely a request for confirmation that the booklets are being distributed in both languages.

But the mayor said it is a strong-worded letter that makes it clear that a bilingual public document is not allowed under French law. The prosecutor’s office confirmed that the right to use a minority or regional language does not exist in French law. An ancient law of 1794 says that all public documents must be in French.

The Office Public de la Langue Bretonne (OPLB) which was created in 2010 by the French state to protect and promote the language which is regarded by Unesco as under serious threat of being lost, is outraged and

The Livret de Famille which was published in French and Breton

backing the mayor.

OPLB director Fulup Jakez said that it was incredible that a law created at the time of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution can still apply in 2012.

He and Mr Troadec are now calling on the French government to ratify the European Charter on Minority Languages as quickly as possible, as promised by President François Hollande in his pre-election campaign.

Mr Jakez added that the Breton language has become increasingly popular and around 206,000 people in the region speak it.

There has been a huge demand for bilingual school classes and when the new school term started last month an additional 14 classes were added to the curriculum.

Carhaix was the first commune in Brittany to introduce a bilingual document and it consulted with the OPLB

New arrivals mark 10 years of aquarium penguin programme

A MAJOR recruitment campaign is being planned to hire more young people for seasonal work in the tourism industry in the Morbihan. It comes after many professionals complained they were short-staffed this summer, in restaurants, bars and hotels. Local Pôle Emploi director Stéphane Le Guennec said many vacancies were unfilled, as candidates were put off by the perception of an industry with lots of manual work and unpredictable hours.

Breton police stop speedsters FOUR drivers in high-powered cars were stopped by police in the Ille-et-Vilaine for speeding as they took part in the Britishorganised “Cannonball” rally through France to Barcelona.

Some 60 police officers were out in the department to “welcome” the racers. The drivers were caught travelling at between 135 and 150kph on the RD137 from Saint-Malo to Rennes, where the limit is 110kph. Three were issued with on-the-spot e90 fines and a fourth had their licence confiscated. One participant, in a red Ferrari decorated with a giant fluffy Tweety-Pie, said he was “escorted all the way from Saint-Malo to south of Nantes by a helicopter and gendarmes on motorbikes”.

The baby penguins need extra care and attention for the first few weeks as one of the biggest dangers is falling in water The penguin breeding programme at the Océanopolis aquarium in Brest is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the birth of four babies.

Three Gentoo penguins and one Rockhopper were born this summer and are now strong enough to be on view to the public.

The baby penguins need extra care and attention for the first few weeks. A special nursery enclosure keeps them safe as one of the biggest dangers to baby penguins is falling into the water before they have their feathers.

Christine Dumas, head of the team looking after mammals at the centre, said: “Falling into the water can be fatal when they are still covered with the fluffy down with which they are born which protects them from the cold.”

They are put into an enclosed area where they can still have visual contact

with their parents through a transparent plastic screen and where they can be hand fed if they need extra nourishment. They are allowed out with the other penguins when they have their feathers.

Ms Dumas added: “They are growing well and being fed by their parents but we keep an eye on them and weigh

them regularly to make sure they are putting on weight.”

The aquarium is so successful at breeding penguins that it regularly gives them to other centres.

Two years ago, 10 were given to the Sea Life Centre in Konstanz in Germany and last year four went to Ireland.

and other organisations.

Mr Jakez added: “In this case these booklets contain the official French version as well as the Breton translation. None of the legal and specialist firms consulted alerted us to the fact that it might be illegal.”

Other mayors in the region who are seeing an increase in demand for bilingual documents are now waiting to see what happens before they consider doing the same.

Breathalyser law ‘should not apply to our tractors’

FARMING representatives in Brittany are leading a national call for tractors to be exempt from the new rules requiring all vehicles to carry a disposable breathalyser.

The new law was introduced earlier this year and from the beginning of November anyone driving a vehicle without a breathalyser on board faces a fine of e11.

Chambers of agriculture in Brittany are backing a campaign by farmers group Coordination Rural. A spokesman said: “This rule is totally useless for agricultural tractors as the very nature of the vehicles mean that conditions are not ideal for their storage.

Also most tractors on farms are driven by more than one person and often only use public roads occasionally.”

He also pointed out that farmers are dealing with complex machinery and animals and are therefore not in the habit of drinking and driving.

The new law is designed so that drivers can test themselves before they drive and are meant to desist from doing so if they are over the limit.

The organisation has written to the agriculture ministry to demand an exemption for drivers of agricultural vehicles. However, for the moment all farmers are being advised to comply with the law.

The spokesman added: “Farmers work in the dust, the cold, the heat, sometimes with windows open so it is not an ideal environment for storing such equipment. It is not clear what would happen if the breathalyser is found not to work properly.”

Photo: PHOTOPQR/OUEST FRANCE

DIY chain Leroy Merlin has been given the all-clear to open its first store in Finistère, after a lengthy legal battle. The 13,100m2 shop in Kervouyec could open by the end of 2014, employing between 150 and 180 staff. It is the latest big superstore to choose the town, after Fnac set up a vast out-of-town branch in May. A second Leroy Merlin store in Finistère is planned for Guipavas by 2015.

4 News

Brittany Pages

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October 2012

Photo: Bazaar79/Wikimedia

Protests could delay airport Campaigners will take fight to Europe

by RAY CLANCY

Rivals compete to climb lighthouse

For some it might seem an odd thing to do, but for lighthouse-climbing enthusiasts the annual Penmarc’h world championship race is a chance to test their fitness.

This year’s sixth race up the Eckmuhl lighthouse’s 307 steps saw a new record being set by medical student Quentin Thomas, aged 20, from Quimper.

He leapt up the 227 stone steps and the 80 rungs of the iron ladder in 52.09 seconds, four seconds faster than previous record-holder Loïc Sellin from Nantes who won in 2008, 2009 and 2010 but was beaten into third place this year.

Mr Thomas explained that the secret to his success was spending several days before the competition measuring the steps so that he could prepare for the competition. He added that his training for his favourite sport of fencing also helped him to victory as it strengthened his leg muscles.

He also revealed that he stumbled at the top and he could have beaten the world record by even more if he had not. He vowed to be back in 2013 to try for an even faster time.

Meanwhile, fireman Christophe Boileau from Savenay took part wearing his full fire-fighting kit to raise money from the Autism Association of Bretagne-Pays de la Loire.

The lighthouse is one of the most important in Europe, built to protect ships from the formidable rocky coast around this area of Finistère known locally as the devil’s rocks.

A NEW airport catering for millions of residents in north-west France, based just south of Brittany, could immediately cater for four million passengers and see nine million people a year using it by 2050 – but a legal fight by local residents might delay the work even further.

The new airport has even been described as having the potential to become a “third airport” for Paris as it will have a station inside the main terminal linked to the high-speed rail network. The project has been talked about since the 1960s – but it was only in February 2008 that the French government finally approved the development.

But two associations formed to fight the plans, ADECA and ACIPA, say they will take their legal challenge all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. They have even received support from protest groups in an around London who are against plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport.

‘‘

Hundreds of people took to the fields to give a graphic and emphatic No to the plan for the NotreDame-desLandes airport

Our main aim is to support 50 families from having their homes taken away

When Marcel Thébault decided to go on hunger strike over the new airport, he was pretty determined to make the local authorities sit up and take notice.

He had to give up for health reasons but another six kept going for a whole month until they were persuaded in May this year that harming their health was not worth it.

Now the protesters are holed up in their homes waiting to find out the result of their legal challenges to having their property purchased by the state.

Several legal challenges regarding the airport are due to be heard between now and the end of the year. Social media, including Facebook and Twitter, is being used to keep everyone informed as the protestors vow to fight on.

ADECA co-president Sylvain Fresneau was recently fined e800 and banned from protesting in the commune of Notre-Dames-des-Landes where the airport is being built.

He said: “The fight goes on. Our main aim now is to support around 50 families within the development zone from having their homes taken away.

LEFT: The site for the new airport is 90km south of Rennes and will replace the old Nantes airport

We hear they are preparing CRS [riot police]. We don’t know if that is a general thing or for a specific purpose.”

Indeed the legal situation is unclear.

There have been various court cases over compensation for land and homeowners, over the right to protest, and over the right to remain on property that the state says it has the right to compulsory purchase.

Mr Fresneau and his fellow protestors argue that the airport will devas-

Six protestors took part in a month-long hunger strike against the plans

tate an area of prime agricultural land as well as pollute surrounding homes and farms. They want the right to stay in their homes until their legal battle has reached its ultimate conclusion.

The repercussions have reached the highest level in the capital. Ecology minister Delphine Batho has found herself at the forefront of criticism from the EELV, the green party which supported President Hollande at the general election and was rewarded with two

cabinet posts. The greens are against the new airport and are angry at Mrs Batho’s recent declaration that it is “a piece of infrastructure that we need, that is the position of the Socialists”.

Green MP Noël Mamère condemned Mrs Batho for openly declaring the government’s support for the new airport.

The party is also furious that the government under Jean-Marc Ayrault, seems to be backtracking on its promise to put ecology at the heart of government.

An artist’s impression of how Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport would look

Brittany Pages

News 5

October 2012

Dolphin count off Breton shore

Music festival leader dies THE co-founder of the Vieilles Charrues music festival – Brittany’s answer to Glastonbury – has died at the age of 51. Journalist Jean Philippe Quignon worked at Le Télégramme newspaper since 1993 and co-chaired the committee that draws up the programme for the festival.

1,600 plant pots at station SOME 1,600 fluorescent yellow plant pots have been assembled on the concourse outside Rennes station as part of an installation by Austrian artist Lois Weinberger. Each contains seeds from local parks and gardens that, it is hoped, will grow over the coming months to welcome visitors for the contemporary art festival that runs until December 9.

Supermarket fined e300k for paying below minimum wage HYPERMARKET giant Carrefour has been ordered to pay out more than e300,000 in damages to hundreds of workers at its store in Quimper who were paid less than the legal French minimum wage.

The court of appeal in Rennes upheld an earling ruling forcing the group to pay e1,500 for each of the 211 salaried workers who were underpaid over a four -year period from 2004 to 2008. The store’s former director Guy Le Goec was also ordered to personally pay e50 in compensation to each worker affected.

The court confirmed the fines that were awarded by the police court last September and also ordered Carrefour to pay damages and interest to 23 workers who took their cases to court with the worker’s union, the Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail (CFDT).

The group said in a statement that all its employees received benefits and discounts included in their salaries, adding it was a question of interpretation regarding the work code.

But the CFDT successfully argued that these perks should come on top of the basic salary and the appeal court agreed. The union said that it has been fighting on behalf of the low-paid workers since 2008.

CFDT representative in Quimper,

Photo: PHOTOPQR/OUEST FRANCE

A DOLPHIN count is under way in the Cancale bay between Saint-Brieuc and Cherbourg – home to one of the biggest colonies in Europe.

Local association Al-Lark organises boat outings for tourists and animal lovers. Its 300 members are conducting research to find out more.

Quimper Carrefour staff on strike earlier this year in protest against what they said were worsening conditions Patrick Mayeur, said part of the problem was the way in which Carrefour calculated salaries by including perks such as a staff discount, health care and bonuses. But in reality the actual pay was below the minimum.

He added that salaries are now being

paid correctly but said some workers are still seeking compensation for breach of contract.

It is not the first time that Carrefour has been fined for low wages. In March it was fined by the appeal court in the Allier, Auvergne, for paying

below the minimum wage to 30 workers at its store in Moulins.

Since the beginning of 2012 the minimum wage in France has been e9.40 per hour which amounts to e1,425.67 monthly before deductions for a standard 35-hour week.

6 National News

Brittany Pages

October 2012

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citizens in every EU state would have equal rights to vote in the country in which they choose to settle – and equal responsibilities to pay tax there under a plan by a leading French economist to “put in place a real status of European citizenship”.

Jacques Attali, who chairs an independent think-tank set up by the Sarkozy government to look at French growth and reform, has also called for a single EU-wide passport.

He said it would give the holder access to all the rights of a national in their member state, including voting in presidential and parliamentary elections, provided they lived there for more than 10 years.

Same-sex weddings law ‘by early 2013’

A NEW law to be tabled this month will give homosexual couples the right to get married and to adopt. It could become law early in 2013.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, the justice minister,

New Lascaux caves facsimile is dropped

Centre national de la préhistoire 2006 © MCC-CNP

Citizens would get EU right to vote

Bulls and horses depicted in the Lascaux paintings was fulfilling a campaign promise by President Hollande and said: “We are well aware of the philosophical and anthropological dimensions around marriage but we feel that they should not break the rule of equality.”

The law would extend the rights of marriage, kinship and parentage to same-sex couples and open up adoption either individually or as a

couple. However, they will not have the right to artificial fertility treatment (PMA) and the government has maintained the ban on surrogacy.

Austerity drive linked to job creation plan

A TWIN attack of an austerity budget and action to create jobs is President Hollande’s aim for the next two years. He

BUDGET cuts could halt e50million plans for a giant facsimile of the Lascaux caves in the Dordogne.

Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti said the Lascaux 4 plan near Montignac was not a priority. It was hit along with unbudgeted cultural projects from the previous government – totalling almost a billion euros.

Bernard Cazeau, leader of Dordogne conseil général, said the plan was a Unescobacked bid to stop damage to the 17,000-year-old paintings - and would go ahead. told TF1 that his government was in “battle mode” to get France back on track with his main targets being the national debt and joblessness.

It means a tough time ahead as the “recovery agenda” would see e30 billion of taxes and spending cuts.

The debt would be reduced through a e10bn cut in public spending next year with every ministry apart from educa-

tion, security and justice being hit; e10bn from “large companies” through increased taxes and social charges, and e10bn from the ordinary taxpayer - and “especially better off households”.

Jobs would be created with a state-subsidised “generation contract” to get companies to hire young workers and the employment of 60,000 more staff in schools.

Oldest nuclear plant to be closed down

PRESIDENT Hollande has said France’s oldest nuclear power plant, at Fessenheim in Alsace, will close in 2016.

He told a Paris environmental conference he wanted to reduce the country’s dependency on nuclear power and said he wanted it cut from the present 75% to 25% by 2025.

This means a major increase in renewable energy supply and he said appeals for new wind and solar projects would be launched later this year.

He has also rejected seven bids to drill exploration wells for shale gas, citing community fears on water pollution.

Arnault foundation could save 37% tax

FRENCH tycoon Bernard Arnault, the head of the LVMH luxury goods group, has set up a Belgian foundation which could help his children pay minimal inheritance tax after he dies.

Arnault, France’s richest man with a e32billion fortune, recently announced he had applied for Belgian nationality and the Protect­ invest foundation could let him pass on billions of inheritance with no or little tax.

His heirs could pay 3% instead of 40% in France.

Brittany Pages

News 7

October 2012

Millions spent on cleaning up – but seaweed is still a blight

by RAY CLANCY HUNDREDS of millions of euros have been spent in the last 20 years trying to tackle the problem of excessive seaweed on Brittany’s beaches but campaigners say there is still not enough being done to find a solution – and tourism chiefs blame it for a drop in visitor numbers.

Every summer for decades it arrives like a green carpet across the sand, and every year the increase of green seaweed is regarded as an invasion that the beaches of Brittany do not want. The seaweed, known as sea lettuce because it looks like a large lettuce and is edible, has been appearing on beaches in the region ever since the 1950s when agriculture became more intensive.

Some experts blame increasing use of pesticides and fertilisers by farmers, others say it is toxins from animal waste leaking into rivers flowing into the sea, but no one really knows for sure although scientists believe it is due to certain conditions such as shallow water, plus humid and warm conditions creating an ideal environment for it to grow.

It is not just that the weed looks unsightly, there have been health concerns since a horse died on the beach at Saint-Michel-en-Grève on the Côtes d’Armor in 2009. As a result, the publicly-funded National Institute for the Industrial Environ­ment and Health Risks (Ineris) carried out tests to identify the types and concentrations of gases emitted by the decomposing seaweed.

It reported that the maximum concentration in certain places “might prove lethal within a few minutes” but said if individuals could be removed from the affected area and properly treated, recovery should be rapid.

People were warned to stay away if they smell ammonia or hydrogen sulphide (rotten eggs) which can be very toxic if breathed in. Experts point out that walking on the seaweed and breaking the surface crust causes the gases to be released into the atmosphere and they present a health risk because of their concentration. The gas is quickly dispersed in the open area and the risk is reduced the further you move away from the source of the toxic fumes.

But it is also a fact that it is having an effect on businesses that rely on summer visitors.

Saint-Michel-en-Grève has been particularly badly affected. In the 1970s it had six hotels, now the last one still in business is up for sale.

Headlines generated by the death of the horse and the annual green invasion have taken a toll on the commune. “People living here, business

A clean-up operation on a beach affected by algues vertes – potentially toxic seaweed people, shop owners, and tourists have all been affected,” said mayor René Ropartz.

A massive amount of money is being spent trying to deal with the annual problem.

Figures from the Ecology Ministry show that it is spending e500,000 to e700,000 a year dealing with between 50,000 and 70,000m2 of the weed.

The Conseil Scientifique de l’Environnement de Bretagne estimates the French state has spent over e1bn dealing with the seaweed in the last two decades. On top of this an extra e134m was allocated to a pilot project to try to control the growth of the seaweed before it reaches the beaches.

The ministry has identified seven bays where the problem has been particularly prevalent over the last 12 years and they are now checked on a daily basis from spring to the end of the summer. They are the bays of Saint-Brieuc, including Binic Cove; Lannion, including the shore of Saint-Michel and Locquirec Cove; Goulven, Horn-Guillec Cove, Guisseny Cove, Douarnenez and Concarneau.

As well as the cleaning process a new pilot operation is underway in the Lannion and Saint Brieuc bays to limit the growth of weed at sea and to avoid it being washed ashore on the beaches. It is not toxic when it is growing in the sea. Farmers are also being encouraged to use less fertiliser and adopt more modern meth-

What to do if you come across seaweed The current advice is to keep away from any areas where large quantities of seaweed are likely to accumulate, such as inlets that are only accessible from the sea and river mouths that are generally muddy as well as public beaches.

If a beach becomes covered with a very large quantity of seaweed brought in by the tide then the mayor of the affected commune has the power, along with the préfecture to close off access to the beach as a precaution until cleaning has been carried out.

Locals and holidaymakers are advised to consult their local mayor’s offices and tourism offices for an up-todate list of affected beaches.

Brittany tourist board also has a list on its website.

Officials ask people who

come across an abnormal quantity of seaweed washed up on an unsupervised beach and/or when they are walking along the shore, not to go near it and to alert the town hall as soon as possible.

Their advice is to avoid walking on any area where there is decomposing green

seaweed. This is because when it has been washed up for several days on a beach or among rocks, when it has piled up and begun to ferment beneath the crust that forms on its surface, it begins to decompose and produce ammonia and the toxic gas, hydrogen sulphide.

ods of dealing with animal waste in an aim to reduce the amount of effluent that escapes into rivers. At Bannalec, Finistère council has spent e300,000 on a biogas plant to convert the seaweed it collects.

However, not everyone thinks enough is being done to find a solution. Jean-Francois Picot of the Brittany Association for the Defence of the Environment pointed out that the new French government has refused to adopt measures to limit the use of fertilisers and combat nitrate pollution under the European Nitrates Directive which has been in place since 1991 despite promising that it would do so.

Locally officials agree but they are not keen to speak out for fear of losing the taxpayers’ money they get for cleaning up the beaches.

Last year a leaked report from the then prefect of the Côtes-d’Armor, Rémi Thuau, said that the cause of the problem is agricultural effluent and fertilisers. He said that the problem will not be resolved until there is “a profound change in agricultural practice” adding that the current regulatory framework is simply not strong enough.

Mr Picot added that a decision last year to relax planning controls on the size of pig farms is a firm sign that rules are not going to be enforced. Brittany is the regional capital for pig breeding in France with 8,000 pig farms accounting for 58% of the production in the country.

He believes that the only hope lies with the decision by the European Commission to take the French government to court over its failure to adopt the directive. But justice moves slowly in the European law courts.

8 What’s On

Brittany Pages

Ille-et-Vilaine

Dinard

October 2012

CINEMA

October Patrick Bruel is president of the jury at Dinard

The Untold Story of 007 looks at the people behind the film series, from left, producer Cubby Broccoli, the first Bond Sean Connery, writer Ian Fleming and producer Harry Saltzman – and is backed with screenings of some of the movies October 3-7 Festival du Film Britannique – Every autumn, Dinard has its own equivalent of the Croisette in Cannes, as the seaside resort attracts some of the biggest names in British and French cinema to show off their work and do battle for the prestigious Golden Hitchcock award.

Five venues host a variety of film projections: premieres, tributes and retrospectives open to the wider public, with individual screenings from 5.50.

In competition for the Hitchcock d’Or are The Comedian by Tom Shkolnik; Good Vibrations – Lisa Barros D’Sa & Glenn Leyburn; Ill Manors – Ben Drew; Live East, Die Young – Laura Hypponen;

Shadow Dancer – James Marsh, and Wasteland – Rowan Athale.The jury is led by French actor Patrick Bruel with jurors including actress Celia Imrie, actors Raza Jaffrey and Stephen Dillane, screenwriter Adrian Hodges and director Catherine Corsini This year the festival will mark the 50th anniversary of the first James Bond film with the premiere of Everything or Nothing:The Untold Story of 007 – a documentary by Stevan Riley (Fire in Babylon).The screening takes place on October 5; 50 years to the day that the first Bond film, Dr No, was first screened. Bond fans will get a special treat with screenings of Dr No,

Thunderball,The Man with the Golden Gun, Casino Royale, Goldeneye and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Other classics to be shown include Tony Richardson’s The Loneliness of the Long-distance Runner, John Schlesinger’s Billy Liar and David Lean’s Dr Zhivago in a tribute to Tom Courtenay.

David Lean is also heavily represented in a tribute to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens with Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948). In all there are three versions of Oliver Twist with Carol Reed’s Oliver! from 1969 and Roman Polanski’s Oliver Twist (2005). www.festivaldufilm-dinard.com

Doctor Zhivago with Omar Sharif

Good Vibrations is in the running for the Hitchcock d’Or

Morbihan October 20-21 Fête des Fruits de l’Automne – Peillac celebrates the arrival of autumn with a weekendlong festival of food, music and forest trails on the lookout for chestnuts. Local producers will also set up stalls on Sunday selling freshly picked autumn fruits. Call 02 99 71 06 04 or www.tourismepays-redon.com

Peillac

FOOD

Cotes d’Armor October 5-6 Festival Blues des Deux Rivières – British blues acts the Martin Harley Band,West Weston, Alan Glen, the Norman Beaker Band and Jeremy Spencer (ex-Fleetwood Mac) are among those on the line-up for this Breton blues festival in the Salle Polyvalente in Isle en Terre.

Tickets range from 10 to 30 depending on the performance chosen and can be booked online at www.festivalblues-bretagne.fr

Isle en Terre

MUSIC

Brittany Pages

What’s On 9

October 2012

Côtes-d'Armor

Finistère

Binic FAMILY

Mellac FESTIVAL

Ille-et-Vilaine October 12-14 Festival de la Magie – A celebration of all things magical, with performances all weekend from illusionists, jugglers, mime artists and more at the Salle de l’Estran in Binic. Some of the shows are not recommended for under-10s.Tickets 10-15. Alongside the shows there is a conference for aspiring magicians to learn more about the trade. Call 02 96 74 45 87.

Saint-Briac-sur-Mer FESTIVAL October 27-31 Festival de la Saint-Simon – This well-known festival celebrates craftsmanship, culture and conviviality. Key to the festival is the showcasing of some 120 carefully chosen craftspeople. Alongside, there is also a themed cultural exhibition.This year’s theme is hemp. Expect plenty of street entertainment and local food. See www.lasaintsimon.com

October 21 Fête d’Automne – Mellac ushers in the new season with a village fête celebrating the best in rural Breton life: gastronomy, local produce, music and dance.

Call 02 98 71 90 60.

Morbihan

Finistère

October 20-21 Marathon International de Vannes – The 13th annual Vannes marathon has attracted a record number of runners this year: more than 2,200 at the last count. There are routes for all abilities, including a gentle 14km walk with an emphasis on sightseeing and nature, on Saturday afternoon, with bookings available on the day itself from 11.00, costing 5.The main race is on Sunday. www.marathon-vannes.com

October 30 Apple, Cider and Cheese Festival – After this traditional fête in Roscoff you will know everything there is to know about cider and oldstyle brewing.You can also experience folk dances, traditional markets, musical activities and more. Call 02 98 29 09 09.

Vannes SPORT

Roscoff FOOD

Brocantes and vide-greniers Photo: jean-louis zimmerman - flickr.com

FINISTÈRE

 October 7 – Châteaulin, Châteaneuf du Faou, Fouesnant, Lesneven, Plomeur, Plozevet, Pouldreuzic, Querrien, Quimperle, Saint-Thegonnec  13 – Brest, Pont Croix  14 – Concarneau, Le Folgoet, Ploudalmezeau, Plozevet, Pont Croix, Saint Renan,Tremeoc  21 – Ploneis  28 – Guipavas, Plouguerneau, Plozevet, Quimper, Saint-Martin-des-Champs, SaintThonan

ILLE-ET-VILAINE

 7 – La Richardais (children’s items)  14 – Montauban de Bretagne, Roz sur Couesnon (children’s items)  21 – Bourgbarre, La Richardais, Le Rheu, Pleurtuit, Rennes, Saint-Senoux  28 – Saint-Briac-sur-Mer

CÔTES D’ARMOR

 6 – Pleboulle, Plurien  7 – Evran, Plurien, Tregastel,Tregrom, Yffiniac  14 – Duault, Lanvallay, Plerin  20 – Plouer sur Rance  21 – Ploezal, Plouasne, Plouer sur Rance, Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Meloir-les-Bois  28 – Etables sur Mer, Saint-Jacut-de-laMer

MORBIHAN

 7 – Locmine, Pontivy, Questembert, Saint-Perreux,Trefflean  13 – Malansac (winter clothes)  14 – Billiers, Camors, Ferel (antiques), Lanvengen, Malansac (winter clothes), Ploermel, Pontivy, Sainte-Brigitte  21 – Baden, Billio, Brech, Languidic, Locmine  28 – Erdeven, Le Faouet

Worried about the Euro debt crisis?

Talk to Siddalls about how to structure your finances in these difficult times Jennie Poate, Regional Manager French Head Office: 05 56 34 75 51 Email: northwest.office@siddalls.net

www.siddalls.fr French finance in plain English Siddalls France SASU, Parc Innolin, 3 Rue du Golf, 33700 Mérignac - RCS BX 498 800 465. C.I.F. No E001669 auprès de ANACOFI-CIF association agréée par l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers et Courtier d’Assurances, Catégorie B - ORIAS 07 027 475. Garantie Financière et Assurance de Responsabilité Civile Professionnelle conformes aux articles L 541-3 du Code Monétaire et Financier et L 512-6 et 512-7 du Code des Assurances.

10 What’s On

Brittany Pages

October 2012

Get Involved!

noticeboard

Retirees keep active minds at Probus club Probus club members gather for regular meetings and dinners

THE Probus club in Pontivy (Morbihan) is a not-for-profit association of active retirees who join together to provide regular opportunities to keep their minds active, expand their interests and enjoy the fellowship of new friends.

The word Probus is an amalgam of the words professional and business and its members are called “Probusiens”. Up to 50 members meet on the second Tuesday of each month from 10.30-14.00.

Members must be retired and at least 50 years of age and they must have held a responsible position in business, the armed forces, the civil service or a profession. A candidate's application has to be supported by at least two members of the club and,

after acceptance, the applicant is invited to the next meeting.

Members can bring guests to attend meetings twice a year, but these are expected to become a member if they wish to attend more. Annual membership is 40, excluding meals.

The next meetings are on October 9 and November 13, both at the Robic hotel and restaurant in Pontivy.

On the October date, there will be a presentation by Geoffrey Baldock from 11.00 entitled “The fear of flying”. The November event is a quiz. Both are followed by a threecourse lunch.

To reserve or find out more, see www.probuspontivyfr.org or call Christopher or Penny Evers on 02 97 40 06 93.

E N

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Ultimate Guide

E

The English Speaker’s

FR

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Brittany Pages

What’s On 11

October 2012

What’s On in the capital

October 31-Nov 4 – With the nights drawing in and Christmas almost around the corner, the Salon du Chocolat is a highlight in the capital’s autumn events schedule, bringing together more than 100 chocolatiers, cocoa growers and thousands of consumers at Viparis, Porte de Versailles.The show celebrates all that is unique about chocolate and, as well as demonstrations from world-famous chefs and tastings there is dance, songs and demonstrations of rituals and traditions from cocoa-producing countries. In total, more than 40 live demonstrations and tastings will be presented.There is also a chocolate bookshop and conferences (in French) on chocolate’s history and innovations, plus the unique chocolate dresses fashion show every day at 17.00, where some of the finest designers and most talented chocolatiers work together.

Open daily 10.00-19.00. Day passes are 13. www.salon-du-chocolat.com

FOOD

Photo: Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur

Photos: Julien Millet

Cocoa Chanel

Skyscrapers and Seine on sleepless night out OUTDOORS October 6 – First launched in 2002, Paris Nuit Blanche (sleepless night) is a night of non-stop art and culture in which hundreds of the city’s galleries, museums, city halls, and even swimming pools open their doors all night to visitors.

Light installations, edgy performances, concerts and exhibitions are planned all over the capital and every event is free. Some town halls offer a free continental breakfast to those who stay up until dawn.

The banks of the Seine will be a focal point this year, with a special cultural path running from the Radio

FESTIVAL

special fair held in Bercy Village. See www.pucesdudesign.com

Until Christmas – For the last 40 years, the Paris Festival de l’Automne has ushered in the post-summer season here by highlighting some of the best works in contemporary visual art, music, cinema, theatre and other creative forms.Venues across Paris host the season-long event which includes everything from opera and film to dance.

It is the largest festival of its kind in the world. festival-automne.com

Cutting-edge cars on show Until October 14 – Le Mondial de l’Automobile is a trade show showcasting cutting-edge vehicle design from all over the world, at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles. www.mondialautomobile.com

EXHIBITION

Rock legend Slash plays Paris October 20 – The celebrated former guitarist from Guns ‘n’ Roses, Slash, plays a solo concert at the Zénith, Parc de la Villette as part of his world tour.

Tickets start at 42.

MUSIC

West Side Story in English THEATRE October 24-December 31 – Exactly 55 years since it first opened on Broadway to rave reviews, the classic musical West Side Story, is being performed in English (with French subtitles) in a twomonth run at the Théâtre Musical de Paris in Châtelet.

Performances are nightly at 20.00 and tickets range from 24 to 133 from all the usual outlets.

50,000 expected at France’s ‘Grand National’ October 6-7 – The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is France’s most prestigious flat race and attracts the elite of horse racing. It is one of 13 races taking place over a weekend at the Hippodrome de Longchamp in the Bois de Boulogne during the first week in October. More than 50,000 spectators are expected and the event is watched by millions on TV worldwide.The Arc de Triomphe record was broken last year by Danedream, who finished the race in two minutes 24 seconds. Doors open at 11.00 on both days. Entry is 4 on Saturday, 8 on Sunday.

Under-18s go free, as do women wearing beautiful hats.

Call 01 44 30 75 00 or visit prixarcdetriomphe.com

October 10-14 – Celebrate the making of this year’s vintage with much fanfare at Paris’s only vineyard, on the north-facing hill at Montmartre, which takes on a village feel for this five-day festival.The Fête des Vendanges includes tastings, regional produce for sale, a colourful parade, concerts and fireworks on October 13. www.fetedesvendangesdemontmartre.com

FESTIVAL

Three art fairs, one weekend October 18-22 – This month is a great time for art and design lovers, with three major fairs over the same weekend. FIAC showcases work from 165 international galleries and over 2,500 artists in the impressive Grand Palais from 18-21 (www.fiac.com). Just over the road will be Art & Design Elysées from 18-22 (www.artelysees.fr), while the Cité de la Mode et du Design near the Gare d’Austerlitz has the Chic Art Fair (www.chic-today.com) from 19-22 displaying the best in fashion and design.

ART

Photo: phalenebdlv/Flickr

Photo: Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

Harvest time at city vineyard Photo: Pierre Lannes/Flickr

Culture festival Design fair from 50s to now ushers in the 4-7 – Les Puces du Design sees DESIGN October specialists in fashion and furniture from the autumn months 1950s onwards present and sell their wares to the public on this

France building in the west to Ivry in the east. Another theme this year is the sky – with 15 buildings in the city centre opening up their roof terraces for sightseers, including the 24th floor of the Tour Zamansky at Jussieu (5th arrondissement, pictured).

See the full programme at nuitblanche.paris.fr

00 12 News Practical

Normandy Advertiser

MonthBrittany 2012 Pages

Losing a loved-one is not something we want to think about – but when it happens, it is important to act quickly and practically and understand the formalities to minimise stress at this difficult time.

Here we give a step-by-step guide to the main considerations in the days and weeks that follow a death in France FORMALITIES in the first few days after someone dies include the making out of a death certificate and a declaration at the mairie.

Note that if you are an employee you have the right to time off due to the death of a close relative. You also have the right to take a break from work to be with a close relative who is terminally ill, called a congé de solidarité familial, during which your contract is suspended and you can claim a daily benefit to partially compensate loss of earnings.

Paperwork The first thing required is for a doc-

tor to make out a certificat médical constatant le décès (also known as the certificat de décès) to legally state the person has died.

If the death took place at home, it is the doctor called to the house who will sign it. In a hospital, clinic or retirement home a staff doctor will sign it.

Violent deaths, including road accidents, must be notified to the police or gendarmerie, who will supply a certificate. In the case of a violent death the body may be transferred to an institut medico-légal, a special type of mortuary, where the body will be kept in a refrigerated

Photo: Subbotina Anna - Fotolia.com

facility, where an autopsy may be carried out, it will then be transferred to a chambre funéraire or mortuaire on judicial permission.

Apart from the basic proof of death, this certificat médical will also contain extra information that is important in the following circumstances: admission to a chambre funéraire (private or municipal mortuary), transport of the body before the coffin is sealed, transport abroad after sealing, embalming and cremation. In such cases, the certificate needs to show that there are no medical/legal matters of concern, that the person did not suffer from a list of contagious illnesses and (if they are to be cremated) they did not have a pacemaker.

The mairie will give you a document called the acte de décès – ask for about a dozen. It is this acte de décès, rather than the medical death certificate, that you will need to use for most subsequent formalities.

Most mairies allow for internet declarations at http://vosdroits. service-public.fr/R1406.xhtml The mairie will provide a permis d’inhumer (burial permit). The burial may not take place until 24 hours after the death and no later than six days (not including Sundays and bank holidays).

In the case of a violent death a judge must give permission for the release of a permis d’inhumer after a report by a pathologist and police.

Photo: mayanais/Flickr

Avoid any further distress: know what to do in event of a death A burial can range from 2130 to 7620, says mutuelle Mutac, while

“

It is best to call several funeral firms. If they will not answer questions on the phone, drop that firm

Authorisation to take the body out of the commune where the coffin was sealed must be obtained from the mairie.

Funeral planning The death of someone close is always a traumatic experience and further emotional distress can be caused when the death occurs in a country where you are not familiar with both the language and local procedures and administrations.

Where possible it is advisable to ask for the help of a native speaker – ideally someone who will remain calm and level-headed to avoid further distress. Take time to choose the right funeral director’s firm.

The placing in the coffin (mise en cercueil) usually happens at the place where the person died. Wherever a death takes place, no one can impose removal of the body to the deceased’s home or to a chambre funéraire without permission from

the family. The only exception is where the director of a home attests in writing he was unable to contact family members in 10 hours after the death. In such a case he can arrange a transfer, at the establishment’s cost. A body can stay in a private home or retirement home for up to six days.

Unless the deceased made specific provisions, you need to organise the funeral – choose the funeral director’s (pompes funèbres) which will arrange the obsèques – convoy, placing in the coffin, transport of the body etc. A list of firms can be found at the mairie. It is recommended to ask for a devis (estimate) explaining what services are covered and the costs, before signing a contract. Since January 2011 firms are required to use a set format for the estimate (un devis type).

Since January 1998, funeral directors’ firms accredited by a préfecture may be selected anywhere in France.

A list of certified funeral directors is available from town halls, mortuaries, crematoria and cemeteries.

However, beware of guidebooks found in some mairies, as arrangements may exist between town halls and certain funeral directors.

Before making arrangements with a particular funeral director, it is best to call several (if they will not answer questions on the phone, drop them). Matters you may want to check on include:

Advertiser OctoberNormandy 2012

News 00 Practical 13

Month 2012

Where possible it is advisable to ask for the help of a native speaker – ideally someone who will remain calm and level-headed to avoid further distress

in the coffin, to return it to the person’s home, to a chambre funéraire etc.  The coffin and accessories  Placing in the coffin and sealing it  Transport of the body after sealing to the cemetery or crematorium etc.  The funeral  The burial or cremation

cremation ranges from 1920 to 4290  Prices for either: – an equipped oak coffin (cercueil en chêne equipé) for burial in a cemetery (equipped means with inner lining, handles, plaque, screws etc.), or – a coffin equipped for cremation (cercueil équipé destiné à la crémation), or – an equipped and zinc coated coffin (cercueil zingué et équipé), for shipment abroad.  The cost of a hearse (corbillard) and pallbearers, as well as the number of pallbearers (porteurs).  Transport or repatriation costs if appropriate.

After you have made a request to a funeral director you should receive a detailed estimate (devis), free and with no obligation. Do not accept a simple verbal response, a draft or an approximate price scribbled on a business card.

By law as of 2011 it should include the following:  Preparation and organisation of the funeral  Transport of the body before placing

Request an explanation of each cost item: Sometimes an identical service or product may be added more than once.

All terms, especially if they use vague expressions, should be explained.

Numerous terms may describe a process of preservation using formaldehyde – conservation, thanatopraxie, soins somatiques, présentation, art réstauratif, formolisation or IFT. Other methods of preservation include dry ice (glace carbonique) or a refrigerated bed (which may be used in retirement homes) or in a refrigerated facility in a mortuary. Preservation with formaldehyde is not obligatory (except for repatriation to certain countries, including the UK).

Ask for a written description of the coffin (type of wood, thickness, colour, finish) and accessories.

If you accept the conditions of the estimate given to you, a purchase order (bon de commande) is then drafted. You are contracting that funeral director and are contractually liable to pay the bill.

Any change afterwards on the purchase order must be added to the estimate in your possession or a new estimate must be made stipulating each and every service and material.

If the funeral is to be paid for out of the deceased’s estate – where the funeral director can seek payment directly from the bank, up to 3,049 – get the estimate before suggesting this method, as some firms may bill suspiciously close to this limit in such a case.

Note that you may incur other expenses: publication in the press, death announcement cards, flower arrangements, monument (if not included in the funeral director’s bill), religious service.

Death in France helpguide – updated The Connexion newspaper has published a 2012 revised helpguide Death in France, from which the information above is extracted. It explains what to do when someone dies, the formalities, financing a funeral, organ donation, choosing a funeral director and much

Download a copy for 5 at www.connexionfrance.com or call 0800 91 77 56 for a printed version to be sent to you

Organ donations In France it is assumed you want to donate your organs after you die.

When a person dies, medical authorities can use their organs for transplants unless the deceased made his or her wish not to donate known, by registering on the Registre des Refus or by telling their close family, who will be consulted if someone is not on the register.

The register is managed by the Agence de la Biomédecine (who can be found at www.agence-biomedecine.fr).

In fact however, organs are only taken following about 1% of deaths in hospital, as the person needs to have died in a limited range of circumstances for their organs to be useable.

If you are in favour of organ donation, you should tell your close family so they can relay your wishes. In the absence of inscription on the refusal register they will be consulted and their decision will be respected. They can also pass on your wishes if you did not want certain organs to be used.

You should also carry an organ donation card (carte de donneur d’organes): this has no legal force but helps clarify your wishes. There is no age restriction to ask for a donor card, but in the event of someone dying under the age of 18, organ removal can only take place upon parental authorisation. To apply for a free donor card visit www.france-adot.org/ demande-carte-donneur.php When someone dies and has not opted out of the organ donation process, the medical teams will aim to make sure their organs are maintained in working order. Once the organs are removed care is taken to maintaining the appearance of the body before returning it to the family who will proceed with the burial/cremation process (with the associated costs).

The medical costs involved, along with potential transportation between hospitals depending on the availability of the relevant medical team, are covered by the deceased’s social security.

Note also that there is a significant difference between donating organs and donating one’s body to science. Léguer son corps à la science means donating one’s entire body for use by a medical school. The body will not be returned to the family. The deceased will have to make financial provisions for their body to be transported to the nearest medical school upon their death.

Key vocabulary  Le certificat de décès = death certificate  Le bureau d’état-civil = register office  Le/la défunt/e = deceased person  Une autopsie = autopsy  Le médecin légiste = pathologist  Une enquête = inquest  Le/la dirigeant/e de pompes-funèbres = undertaker/ funeral director  La chambre mortuaire = mortuary in a hospital, hospice or clinic where people’s bodies are preserved in refrigerated cases  Le reposoir = Room in a retirement home where a person’s body may be kept, before or after being placed in the coffin. Not refrigerated, therefore some preservation technique may be applied.  La chambre funéraire = private or municipal mortuary where body may be kept before burial or cremation, often run by funeral directors.  Le cercueil = coffin  Le corbillard = hearse  Le porteur = pallbearer  La thanatopraxie = embalming  Le rapatriement = repatriation  (Entreprise de) pompes funèbres = funeral directors (company)  Le maître de cérémonie/ ordonnateur or monteur de convoi = all indicate a person from the funeral director’s firm who looks after the family during the funeral (may be one of the porteurs).  Une inhumation = burial – en pleine terre = in the ground – en caveau = vault  Une concession funéraire = cemetery plot – concession de famille = family only – concession collective = family and others – concession individuelle = one person only – temporaire = temporary – trentenaire = 30 years – cinquantenaire = 50 years – perpétuelle = in perpetuity  Le caveau = vault  La tombe = grave  La mise en bière/mettre

Photo: mayanais/Flickr

“

en bière = placing in the coffin  La veillée mortuaire = wake  Les cendres = ashes  Une urne funéraire/cinéraire = funeral urn  Un columbarium - facility for storing cinerary urns (columbarium)  Obsèques = the funeral (the term les funerailles also exists but is less used and implies a grand ceremony) – civiles = civil – religieuses = religious  Le deuil/ être en deuil = bereavement / to be bereaved or in mourning  Un enterrement/aller à l'enterrement de… = burial/ going to someone’s burial/ funeral  Les condoléances/présenter/offrir/faire ses condoléances = to offer somebody one’s sympathy  Une lettre de condoléances = letter of sympathy.

Example: Monsieur et Madame X vous prient de recevoir leurs très sincères condoléances et l'expression de leur profonde sympathie.  La marbrerie funéraire = monumental masonry – en marbre = made of marble – en granit = granite - en pièrre = made of stone  La stèle = headstone  La plaque = plaque  Gravé(e) = engraved

00 14 News Leisure Time

Normandy Advertiser Month 2012 Brittany Pages October 2012

%5,77$1< )25 (9(5<21(

352027,1* %5,77$1< ZZZ EULWWDQ\IRUHYHU\RQH FRP French-themed crossword

What’s in a word?

Easy

Down

2. Stew of haricot beans and pork or other meat, famously made in Castelnaudary (9) 8. Toponymous jeans cloth, serge __ _____ (2,5) 9. Actress Sophia _____, who became a French citizen in 1966 because of legal and tax problems in her native land (5) 10. Tart filled in England with a sweet or savoury mixture, in France with custard (4) 11. Fields in Greek myth which gave their name to Paris thoroughfare (7) 13. Fruits of evergreen oleaceous trees (6) 15. Basic unit of electric current named after French physicist and mathematician (6) 18. Highly-prized delicacy sought by a pig or dog (7) 20. Fabric for which Chantilly was once famous (4) 23. French and German “yes” provide equipment for contact with the other side (5) 24. Scholar and theologian remembered chiefly for his love for Héloïse (7) 25. Dish once served at dinners between main course and dessert (9)

1. Nobel prize-winning Parisian author of L’Immoraliste and La Symphonie Pastorale (4) 2. Waterway such as that built by Pierre-Paul Riquet (5) 3 and 12. Normandy-born English soldier and scourge of the Cathars (5,2,8) 4. Edible bivalve mollusc farmed in the Étang de Thau (6) 5. Composer at Louis XIV’s court who also wrote for plays by 16 down (5) 6. Bread and butter, _______ de beurre (7) 7. Classified ads – petites ________ (8) 12. See 3 14. Useless in French and rarely, too, in English (7) 16. Pseudonym of dramatist Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (7) 17. French Parliament chamber at the Luxembourg Palace (6) 19. Sumptuous meal or a religious celebration (5) 21. Due to their behaviour some of these crustaceans are known in France as dormeurs (5) 22. Four-letter acronymn for broadband (4)

by Paul Masters

biscuit encore or the street numbering and the wheaten biscuit? In the meaning, quite simply, where bis denotes “for a second time”.

Biscuits were originally placed in the oven twice: once before the bread was cooked, and once again afterwards, as the oven cooled down.

The second time was intended to dry them thoroughly rather than to cook them any more: for dried biscuits kept much longer, and were a staple part of the diet on long sea voyages, for instance, in centuries past.

And so biscuit, in fact, simply means “cooked twice”.

Intermediate

The France quiz  1 WHICH sports personality turned musician has been named the most popular person in France for the ninth year running?  2 WHICH French actor was thrown off a Dublin flight last year for urinating in his seat, and now stands accused of punching a driver in a road rage incident in Paris?  3 HOW many medals did France win in this summer’s Olympic Games? And in what position did the country end up in the medals table?  4 WHICH hotel in the French capital is being stripped of its famous name because of declining standards?  5 WHEN is France’s next public holiday?  6 WHO is the captain of the French national football team?  7 ROCKY is a power-crazed leader in a new French novel that is causing a stir. On which politician is it based?

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga representing France at the Olympics

Difficult

CROSSWORD ANSWERS. Across 2 cassoulet; 8 de Nîmes; 9 Loren; 10 flan; 11 Elysian; 13 olives; 15 ampere; 18 truffle; 20 lace; 23 ouija; 24 Abélard; 25 entremets Down 1 Gide; 2 canal; 3 Simon de Montfort; 4 oyster; 5 Lully; 6 tartine; 7 annonces; 12 See 3; 14 inutile; 16 Molière; 17 Senate; 19 feast; 21 crabs; 22 ADSL FRANCE QUIZ ANSWERS: 1. Yannick Noah; 2. Gérard Depardieu; 3. 34, seventh place; 4. Paris Hilton; 5. November 1 (Toussaint); 6. Didier Deschamps; 7. Nicolas Sarkozy

Sudoku

Across

Photo: carine06/Flickr

AS the concert ends, the performers acknowledge the applause, but the audience is still so moved, and the performers still so fuelled by the emotion of the performance that they coincide in calling for, and granting a bonus item.

This is, of course, the encore. Yet the audience may not be crying out “encore”, but using the shorter but sibilant alternative “bis, bis”.

In the street outside, you may notice the word again, written above door ways and entrances. The building may have been number 12, but it has been divided into 12A and 12B, as we would say in English, or Douze and Douze bis.

The ancient word bis has this meaning of again, or for a second time, and these are probably the only two surviving uses of a little word with its best days long ago.

So, where’s the link between the musical

by John Foley

Food andNews Pets 00 15

Normandy Advertiser Brittany Pages October Month 2012 2012

Tender and juicy lamb is a French speciality

Thick round fillet of lamb stuffed à la provençale ingredients

For the lamb fillet  55ml olive oil  4x225g lamb breasts, trimmed  salt and pepper For the stuffing  300g lamb mince  125g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped  55g fresh breadcrumbs  55g black olives, pitted  4 cloves garlic, minced  2 small onions, finely chopped  salt and pepper For the garnish  small handful of vine cherry tomatoes  small bunch of thyme sprigs



Method  Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan) or gas mark 5.  Combine all the ingredients for the stuffing in a food processor and pulse until it comes together. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set to one side.  Place the lamb breasts on a chopping board and create pockets in them using a sharp knife.  Fill with the lamb mince stuffing and rub their outsides with olive oil.  Season the outsides generously and

Photo: Bilic/Photocuisine

for centuries. They feed on a rich variety of plants that are flooded by the huge bay tides, and the high salt levels and iodine-rich content makes their muscles more moist and the meat darker and juicier.

Contrary to popular belief, the meat itself does not taste of salt.

Agneau pré-salé has been awarded an Appelation d’Origine Controlée label.

Similar to French cheeses and champagne, this means that only lambs that graze on certain salt marsh areas can be sold under this name.

A leg of salt marsh lamb is delicious roasted – it requires just a seasoning of salt and pepper to bring out its unique flavour – but in this recipe we are taking a different approach, on a provençal theme.



Serves: 4 Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 25-30 minutes

Lambs grazing on the salt marshes of the Somme and the Mont-Saint-Michel produce meat that is incredibly succulent and has an exceptional taste – and now is a great time of year for buying lamb with the best flavour AUTUMN is an ideal time of year for lamb - it is generally available in France until the end of October and tends to be much more flavourful than spring lamb because of the maturity of the meat. It makes the perfect partner for autumnal produce from the garden - sweet or savoury whether orchard fruit or root vegetables.

For an extra-special meltin-the-mouth experience, try salt-marsh lamb (agneau présalé), which is highly prized for being succulently tender and has an incredible flavour because of the unique way the animals are raised.

Commonly mistranslated

by English-speakers as “ready salted”, these lambs have grazed on the estuary salt marshes of the Somme and the Mont-Saint-Michel bay

CUT OUT & KEEP!

tie with kitchen string to secure.  Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over a moderate heat until hot.  Seal the stuffed lamb breasts in batches until golden brown in colour all over.  Once all the lamb breasts are sealed, cover with the cherry tomatoes and

thyme stalks.  Transfer to the oven to finish cooking for 12-15 minutes until the filling is cooked.  Remove from the oven and let the lamb rest for 5 minutes covered loosely with aluminium foil.  Remove the string before serving.

Treats are key when house training dogs HOUSE training takes time and patience but done the right way, first results appear fast. The first principle is that accidents are the owner’s fault, not the dog’s: the owner should have taken the dog out so that she did not need to go indoors.

So never punish your dog for puddles in the house – just clean up any accidents without fuss.

The next principle is to prevent the dog peeing inside the house. Do this by watching her like a hawk. At the first sign of wanting a pee (wandering around sniffing things), take her out. Also take her out first thing in the morning, after meals and last thing at night. Puppies should be taken out every two hours; they cannot hold on for longer.

Photo: C. E. Price/Public Domain Images

With encouragement and treats, your dog will soon learn the rules about going to the toilet – but you must keep up the routine, advises SAMANTHA DAVID

Pet Care If you cannot watch your dog, shut her into an outdoors run (weather permitting) or a small easy-to-clean space such as a utility room or kitchen. That way at least accidents will be easy to clean. Only a properly house-trained dog should be given the run of the house.

At night, shut your dog into a purpose built dog crate (available on the internet) filled with comfy bedding, toys and a treat. The crate should be big enough for the dog to stand up, stretch, turn round and lie down in

This column is sponsored by

You can normally train a dog to stay clean indoors within a few days but no bigger. Given that you have walked your dog last thing before bed, she should easily be able to stay dry until the morning. If your dog does not like the crate to begin with, use more treats to change her mind.

Kindness and persistence are key.

Do not use the crate other than at night.

While you are doing all that, you must also reward your dog massively for doing the right thing. The

minute she pees outdoors, pat her, praise her and give her a bit of dog sausage or other titbit. Every single time the dog pees, even if it is 20 times in one walk, you should praise, caress and give treats. It will not take your dog long to figure out that urinating indoors leads to nothing but doing it outdoors leads to a dog treat.

While you are doing this you can if you like, simultaneously teach a ver-

bal command. As your dog pees, you repeat the command (I use “go quickly”) over and over. When she finishes, you give the praise and treat. Eventually, when you say “Go quickly” your dog will start sniffing at likely tree trunks.

Within a day or two, your dog will be clean in the house. But in order to make this permanent, you have to continue with all elements of the training routine for at least six months. Any backsliding and you have to start the routine again.

If a properly house-trained dog suddenly starts wetting the house, the cause could be either emotional or physical. Has someone moved out? Has another pet passed on? If there is no obvious emotional cause, it could be physical. Uncastrated male dogs commonly suffer from prostrate problems and females from urinary infections such as cystitis, which can cause them to make unaccustomed puddles.

If you do not have time to train a dog following the above method, the sad truth is that you probably do not have time to keep a dog at all.

Tel. 06 58 01 82 76 Web. www.seulementnaturel.eu Email. marc.somsen@chardeyre.com

16 Directory

Brittany Pages

October 2012

Advertise here ALL YEAR from just 75HT Call free on 0800 91 77 56 or email directory@connexionfrance.com

BRITTANY DIRECTORY

English-speaking firms near you For your security, we check that the French businesses in this section are officially registered with the authorities

Find registered tradespeople quickly and easily Directory adverts are available in 3 sizes and in colour or black and white.

Colour

(16-30 words)

Colour

225HT 339HT

REGISTRATION

THE BRITTANY PAGES checks that all French businesses advertising on these pages are registered with the French authorities.

While not all firms choose to display their siret number in their advert, they have all been verified. Advertisers without sirets are not allowed, those who use siret en cours (who are in the process of registering their business) will be removed if a number is not given within one month. UK businesses are checked at Companies House - and UK sole traders must have a UK billing address.

WHAT IS A SIRET?

THE siret is a 14-digit number identifying a business, issued by the national statistics body Insee. It proves a business has been registered with the French authorities.

You can check it on www.infogreffe.fr (This site checks the siren - the first 10 digits or the siret).

However, while www.infogreffe.fr will list the occupation ANIMALS

IN THE DOG HOUSE

LB

DG

LG

DP

LP

R

O

Y

PAYMENT

that also allows tax breaks. (Connexion has a helpguide on employing people in your home.

See www.connexionfrance.com)

CATEGORIES

UNDECLARED work is illegal in France. If you are asked for cash, this should ring alarms bells. There are tax breaks associated with many forms of construction and other areas like home tuition, so it is beneficial to get receipts. For some of these benefits the company chosen must be accredited. Any work costing more than 150 must have a receipt. For some services you could pay using Cesu (Cheque emploi service universel). This is an official government-sponsored way of employing people,

JEREMY SMITH

BUILDERS & RENOVATION

FRENCH REGISTERED ARCHITECT Design - Planning permissions Project management - All building types and sizes

Quality care for your pet

Tel: 02 96 21 23 67 Mob: 06 43 79 37 54 Email: mail@jeremysmitharchitects.com www.jeremysmitharchitects.com

02 98 73 91 10 - 06 33 44 71 17 collorec@me.com

DB

of a firm, this can sometimes undersell a business, which may be able to carry out a range of tasks not mentioned on the site.

You can also ask to see a copy of the business’ insurance certificate and the card issued by the chambres de métiers which will list the competences of a firm. Being registered does not, of course, guarantee workmanship but it is an important step in selecting tradespeople.

Small established family run KENNELS & CATTERY - COLLOREC

Yellow

B&W

Orange

(31-45 words)

Red

47mm x 75mm

call 0800 91 77 56 Light Purple

Treble

Colour

150HT 225HT

Dark Purple

47mm x 50mm

B&W

Choose from these colours:

Double

Siret: 512004024300014

Siret: 492 349 931 00013

BRETON BUILD Carpenter, roofer and general builder specialising in the renovation of traditional Breton Properties.

info@bretonbuild.com 02 97 38 57 61 www.bretonbuild.com

THE directory is split into the different types of businesses covering the Brittany area.

To locate a company, simply find the type of business you need which are indicated with an illustrative symbol and the title underneath (see right for some examples).

Ed Chalkley: Maitre Artisan Complete Interior Renovation with all trades undertaken.

Registered Carpenter.

Breeder of Dutch Sheep, Ouissant sheep and Kune Kune Pigs Call Carole on 02 97 34 70 44 carole.williams@orange.fr

Plans Planning Permisions Mike Welby 0296875737 www.welby.fr

If your job is worth doing It's worth doing well

Wellesley House Surveying

ANDREW ALLEN - ARCHITECT

Brittany/Normandy/Loire - English Style Contact: Nick Warner Tel: (France) +33 (0)296 31 83 30 Email: info@french-property-survey.com Web page: www.french-property-survey.com

02 96 83 47 25

Covering all of Brittany Shaun Lake

Tel: 06 31 26 16 21 / 02 97 43 57 81 Web: www.artisanmultiservice.com Email: shaunlake@hotmail.com

Siret number: 513 187 153 00012

Siret no: 500405089

J. S. H. Easy Access specialist in Ramps, Handrails, Door Frames, Non-Slip Surfaces, Wet rooms

Made to measure wooden staircases

Portable: 06.70.54.13.76

Regions 29/56/35/22

ARCHITECTS

www.architectbrittany.com

Building Renovation & Property Maintenance

View work at edwardchalkley@blogspot.com Tel: 02.96.82.72.91(evenings)

Siret: 489 314 278 00032

CHARITY FIELDS

Rounded

Light Green

} }

75HT 114HT

Dark Green

B&W

Standard

Light Blue

47mm x 25mm

(1-15 words)

Dark Blue

Single

HOW TO BOOK AN ADVERT Choose the size of your advert from the examples on the left. You can have a black and white advert; or you can choose a colour from the list below. Finally, you can choose to have rounded corners to the box to help make your advert stand out (See right). Then, when you have made your choice,

Registered and Based in Brittany

Property Surveys SIRET No. 452 539 273 00014

Fabrick Dinan

Solving all your Building Needs Office in Dinan Centre

www.fabrickdinan.com info@fabrickdinan.com

Tel: 02 96 39 27 67 Siret: 519 572 135 00019

Free Quotes, Dep 22/29

Stairs2measure.com Tel: 02 56 33 50 11 Mob: 06 04 17 26 65

Tel: 02 96 23 97 58 - Mob: 06 26 53 91 03 Email: spencer91122@hotmail.co.uk

Email: quote@stairs2measure.com

Siret : 519 571 392

Web: www.stairs2measure.com

Getting it right first time

CHARLES HAIGH CONSTRUCTION

Danish workmanship built to last Newbuilds - Extentions - Repairs - Carpentry - Roofing

www.artisancarpenter.com email : info@peterjensen.fr Tel : 02 96 29 51 66 Mob: 06 30 24 55 29 Siret : 489651976

Renovations - Extensions Alterations - Dry Lining Excavations - Fosse Septiques Covering Depts 22 & 29

Tel: 02 96 44 26 20 Email: charleshaigh@orange.fr Siret: 453 231 920 00019

Brittany Pages

Directory 17

October 2012

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Property business booming despite euro crisis Houses on Internet can help home owners sell their French property without the use of an estate agent

Company founder Richard Kroon

Stuart Barker Plastering 35 years experience:

Boarding  Insulation  Floors  Tiling Painting  Block Laying  Digger Works Tel: +33 (0) 2 98 93 87 43 Mobile: +33 (0) 6 23 67 84 17 Email: platrier.homeservice@hotmail.com Siret No.: 511 627 341 00015

HOUSES on Internet, the successful, fast growing internet marketing company that helps people sell their French property without the use of an estate agent, has not been affected by the on-going euro crisis.

“The key to our success is without doubt our extensive global network which enables us to reach prospective buyers wherever they are,” said Richard Kroon, company founder and director.

“This does not mean that we are not surprised ourselves about the high number of property sales that we realised in these insecure times.”

To date, 2011 was the company’s best year ever, with a turnover increase of approximately 25% compared to the previous year.

Computer Tel: 09 66 40 09 87

sostoolbox.com

Entreprise Bown Robert

LA CASSIERE Installer of all types of sewerage systems, agent for BIOROCK. All groundworks undertaken.

Tel: 02 96 26 22 56 Mobile: 06 11 18 22 19 Email: lacassieretp@free.fr

Thistle Renovations Ltd

Timber Treatment, Preventative & Remedial Woodworm & Dry Rot, Plastering, Pointing 02 96 29 59 41 Thistle22@orange.fr

Siret: 489 684 696 00011

EDUCATION / LANGUAGE

ESTATE AGENTS Property for sale in Brittany Buying / Selling property in Morbihan Translation - Negotiation - Advertising Currency Exchange

info@propertyforsaleinbrittany.co.uk www.propertyforsaleinbrittany.co.uk

Electrical - Plumbing - Tiling Doors & Windows - Stud-walls Insulation

HOUSES ON INTERNET

Tel: 02 98 99 77 46 Mobile: 06 25 78 93 63 E-mail: Jonandorice@wanadoo.fr

CLC Building & Property Maintenance

Renovations, Repairs, Conversions, Extensions Tel: 06 59 71 50 29 or 02 98 86 95 37 Troleron 29530 Plonevez du Faou

Stonework  Block work  Plastering  Plasterboarding  Roofing

Email: clc-chrislynn@hotmail.com Ad No. 17612

BUSINESS & WEBSITES

www.PCBREAKDOWNSOS.com Mobile PC repairs Mobile: 06 28 11 31 60 Evening: 02 96 13 14 48 Contact Paul - Operating Dept22 Radius 30km Corlay

COMPUTERS, TV, PHONE,

Sell your property to a worldwide audience using our global network.

Our fees are the lowest in France, our results are the best.

WWW. HOUSESONINTERNET.COM

Tel: 05 55 65 12 19 GARDENS & POOLS

Tree Surgeon Stuart Lee

Qualified, Insured, Equipped Stump grinder and Woodchipper

02 99 68 43 46

www.lejardinieranglais.com Highest Quality Handmade Sheds

Outbuildings, Animal Houses, All Garden Furniture Made to your specifications www.shedsfrance.com shedsfrance@yahoo.co.uk 02 97 70 68 83

Ian Torode Servicing / repairs for most makes of vehicle / garden machinery.

Car Help - Advice - Parts.

Web: www.mowermaninbrittany.net e-mail: admin@partsbroker.net Tel: 02 56 22 90 12

Exclusive Dinan Healthcare Fabrick Septic Tank Installations +33 (0) 4 94 40 31 45

Email: pennyhelwig@hotmail.com

MOTORING

PLUMBERS

Tel: 02 99 20 26 86 Mobile: 06 89 89 75 81

Legal - Property - Birth Certificates - Driving Licenses

SARL Steve & Wendy Foster Renovations

Jon Oram

GENERAL

PENELOPE GRAHAM-HELWIG TRADUCTRICE ASSERMENTÉE SWORN TRANSLATOR

Tel: 02 97 67 17 93 Mob: 06 27 14 51 14

Plastering  Rendering  Pointing  Limework  Tiling  Decorating  Renovation  Restoration All Aspects of Work Undertaken

Siret: 40029026800020

Your Helping Hand to the French Health System

Siret 503 281 438

www.renov8it4u.com Tel: 02 98 26 43 95 Mobile: 06 68 25 46 54 Email: steve.wendy.foster@orange.fr

JARDINERIE HOLLANDAISE

Tel/Fax: 02 97 27 62 19 - Mobile : 06 75 39 25 79 Email: contact@jardinerie-hollandaise.com Web: www.jardinerie-hollandaise.com

Linux • MS • OsX

PC & Mac Computer Engineer From teething troubles to total trauma We Can Help!

Tel: 02 98 71 14 91 / 06 32 30 70 54 Email: dale@infortechfrance.com www.infortechfrance.com

Siret: 424 531 069 00013

The reality is that 2012 shows an increase in sales of about 30% compared to 2011

Help & Repair Infortech

Tel/Fax: 02 97 51 10 11 - Mob: 06 38 34 20 78 Email: robert.bown@orange.fr

“

Garden Centre and Garden Maintenance Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday or on 'RDV' Le Garly 56480 Ste. Brigitte

56 MORBIHAN 56

All types of work, Exterior-Interior, New - Renovation-Repair.

“I never expected we could top those numbers so soon, but the reality is that 2012 shows an increase in sales of about 30% compared to 2011,” said Richard.

With buyers from Australia, Russia, USA and Canada, as well as from European countries including Switzerland, Germany and Finland, Richard explains that the best way to reach people remains

the same - clever internet marketing and a top Google ranking.

“The advantage of the euro crisis is, of course, that this currency is now relatively cheap for countries outside the euro-zone, which makes buying French property an interesting investment.”

Richard has also noted an increase in another group of perhaps unexpected buyers this year - Belgians. In particular those living in the northern part of Belgium, where Dutch is the primary language.

“It seems that a lot of these people do not speak English or French and therefore cannot be reached by national or international websites that just try to sell houses in these languages,” said Richard.

“For these people it is a huge advantage that we present every property in three languages, including Dutch. And they must be telling each other that Houses on Internet is the place to be, because the number of sales to people from northern

www.exclusivehealthcare.com

Anna Pathfinder Your life coach in Brittany www.annapathfinder.com

Tel. 02 99 44 38 09 HEALTH & BEAUTY

Guided walks in English

Discover the Monts d'Arrée in all their beauty!

kelly@walkandtalk.fr www.walkandtalk.fr 02 98 81 12 41

Liana

Mobile Hairdresser Huelgoat and its surrounding areas

Discounts available for group bookings

02 98 99 90 51 - 06 66 38 31 11 Email: l.wheaton@laposte.net INSURANCE & FINANCE

bml angloagence.com

English registered cars House insurance - Health cover 1700 British clients trust us 02 96 87 21 21 contact@angloagence.com Dinan, Brittany

AXA INSURANCE

Guillaume POISSANT

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00 18 News DIY

Normandy Brittany Advertiser Pages October Month 2012

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Building a tree house is a project for the whole family AT HALF-term this month why not get the children involved in building a tree house? Obviously younger ones will not be able to help much with the initial construction, but they could be detailed to make a simple ladder, or tie knots in a thick rope or even make a tin can phone (two empty food tins connected by a length of string).

It is possible to construct a tree house even if you do not have a likely tree in your garden by supporting the structure on stilts. It is however fun to have at least some tall vegetation surrounding the tree house. There are lots of designs available, but the simplest remains a few planks nailed to the branches and a rope ladder for access. This is really only suitable for older children however.

To find ready-made railings and all sorts of other inspiring used building materials at good prices, find your nearest EmmaĂźs in the Pages Jaunes (pagesjaunes.fr) as they offer absolutely everything for sale. Alternatively, search the same site for MatĂŠriaux de recuperation or ask around locally to track down a dealer in la recupe in your area.

These are people who collect building materials from demolition sites and sell them on, and are great places for hunting out old staircases, fantastic wrought iron balcony railings and antique doors.

If you do have a suitable tree, such as a plane tree with a wide, sturdy trunk, then you can start by constructing a boxy framework around the tree comprising four legs and the base of a platform. If you bury the supporting posts into wet concrete you will need less cross bracing but if you use an above-ground foundation (ie: a footer) then the posts will last longer.

Once you have got some planks down on the platform to make a solid floor, add some railings and attach the ladder.

You can also transfer some of the weight from the platform to the base of the tree trunk by using diagonal braces from the outside edges of the platform.

The tree houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future inhabitants might not do a great job of applying wood preservative, but the task will keep them occupied for hours. The important thing is not building the perfect tree house but introducing children to the fun and satisfaction of working with their hands. Source an organic or child-safe product at the DIY store.

Good features for children to help with are suspending a tyre from a nearby branch, and putting holes in the corners of an old tin tray so it can be attached to a rope and used to haul feasts up into the tree house. More features, like extended decking, a rope ladder, a roof, a fixed staircase, and a firepole would be great projects for a later date â&#x20AC;&#x201C; say, spring half term.

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Home and Garden News 00 19

Brittany Normandy Pages Advertiser October Month 2012 2012

Facts

les bocages

spooky party

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Halloween his not as widely celebrated in France as the UK or US, but if you want to arrange a special day for the children, REBECCA LAWN has some tips on preparing the house and where to find materials goes without saying that the Jack-o-lantern is the most traditional Halloween decoration, and lots of fun to carve.

For other decorations to make with the kids, you may need: different coloured paints, coloured pipe cleaners and marker pens. You should be able to get these from local arts and crafts shops.

To make spiders, you will need an egg carton, eight pipe cleaners and some black paint.

Cut out each egg cup and paint it black. For the eyes, either use white paint to create little dots or glue on wiggle eyes. For the legs, make four small holes on two sides of the cup and insert a black or coloured pipe cleaner in each hole and stick them to the cup.

You then just need some thread to hang the spider.

You could also create a whole

French sites netbootic.com, ledeguisement.com and fetespar-fetes.com have a selection of scary decorations. For more choice, check out UK sites which deliver.

You do not have to be a crafts expert to create your own decorations – and all the family can get involved. It

“

You do not have to be a crafts expert to create your own decorations – and all the family can get involved

host of spooky silhouettes of ghosts, cats and bats. If you or your children are hosting a Halloween party, make sure to dim the lights and have a CD of creepy noises such as doors banging or ghoulish sounds on in the background. You could even replace lights with black light bulbs, stick up figures that glow in the dark and have orange and white streamers hanging from the ceiling and across windows and doorways.

To make your home into a deserted haunted house, you could cover furniture with white sheets, and opt for black decorations and tableware.

For your front garden, you could cordon off an area with yellow tape like that which is used at crime scenes.

As for trick-or-treating, it is not a French tradition and you could get mixed reactions.

In some areas, it is becoming the norm, but if you are not sure, it is probably best to go round to friends’ houses or talk to your neighbours in advance about it, to see if they would agree. And stock up on sweets, just in case.

Photo: Public Domain Images

DAVE ROBINS - ARBORIST

Trees inspected, crown-lifted, reduced or felled  Hedges trimmed, renovated and pruned  Forestry management plans prepared  Free consultations and quotes  Copious amounts of advice given

THE spookiest month of the year has come round – it is time to get the house ready for Halloween.

Although it is not as big tradition in France as it is in the US or the UK, Halloween has gained in popularity over the last few years. The most celebrating goes on in Limoges – there is an annual parade on October 31 where people dress up and carry candlelit pumpkins. The annual Witch Festival in Chalindrey falls just before Halloween, and Toussaint, All Saints’ Day, is the day after.

Across the country there are celebrations at cafes, bars and homes. There is even growing demand for pumpkins towards the end of October and some grocery shops and supermarkets have pumpkin carving displays in preparation for the 31st. Patisseries, chocolate shops and bakeries often decorate their shop windows with orange and black displays. However, if you are looking to buy decorations, apart from fancy-dress shops, you are best off buying online.

Photo: Public Domain Images

From September on most plants take a well-deserved rest and shut up shop, leaving the garden a greyer and less colourful place. Luckily some outrageous shrubs take the winter as a time to shine. Boring leaf displays in summer mean many are overlooked but they more than make up for it with stunning scent and brave flower displays.

Winter Honeysuckle – A personal favourite, and nothing like the climber that it shares a name with. Lonicera fragrantissima is a vigorous shrub – mine grew happily through the bottom of its container and rooted in the gravel below – that can be easily cut back into shape and is so hardy as to be practically indestructible. It is, for nine months of the year, a boring, plain-leaved shrub, that in February through to April, bursts forth with creamy, frothy blossoms that carry a powerful sweet citrus aroma. Plant near a pathway or door to get the best effect.

Winter Jasmine – This yellow flowered shrub, Jasminum nudiflorum, blossoms on green twigs, so gives a colourful appearance to a fence or bank. It needs to be grown against a support and flowers from December to March. No scent unfortunately, but you cannot have everything... Prune hard after flowering to keep in shape.

Witch Hazel – The ever popular Hamamelis mollis is actually a small tree if left to grow unchecked, producing tiny yellowy-orange star-shaped flowers in February and March that have an incredibly strong scent. Witch hazel can also be made into a skin toner as it is an astringent, look online for more details.

Daphne odora – An evergreen shrub that produces tiny clusters of pink and white flowers that are ideal for cutting for inside displays as they are long lasting and heavily scented. The plant is a well behaved shrub with a pleasing mounded shape that takes minimal trimming to stay neat.

Winter Mahonia – Mahonia japonica is a large and very striking yellow-flowered shrub that is generally given a lot of space to spread itself, although it benefits from pruning by removing older stems each year. It is spiky, and the flowers are large and pyramidal so they are hard to miss; placing this in a bed needs careful consideration as it is quite a character. Did you know the berries are edible and can be eaten as jam?

Winter flowering Viburnum – Viburnum bodnantense flowers on bare branches and has incredibly delicate blossoms that last practically all winter. Although it can grow up to 3 metres high, it responds well to pruning and can be grown along a trellis or wall. Plant them near a frequented walk to appreciate their rich scent. Remove older branches in the spring after flowering to keep the framework open and encourage flowers the next winter.

The winter shrubs are good foils for the summer displays as they are generally subdued enough to give back drop, but when the autumn cull of bedding plants and summer shrubs is done they can keep a border going until the spring bulbs are back.

There is growing demand for traditional Halloween pumpkins in grocery shops and supermarkets in France this month

20 Property Sponsored by

Brittany Pages

October 2012

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Rostrenen, Côtes-d'Armor Two bedroom house comprises lounge, kitchen, shower room, laundry room, conservatory and garden.

Douarnenez, Finistère Two bedroom renovated flat consists of open plan kitchen/ living room, shower room and terrace.

Guern, Morbihan Two bedroom renovated house consists of lounge, open plan kitchen/dining area, new bathroom, garage and large garden.

Ref: PLM01314

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122,700

Saint-Nicolas-du-Pélem, Côtes-d'Armor Two bedroom house comprises lounge/dining room, kitchen, bathroom, utility room and enclosed garden.

Near Carhaix-Plouguer, Finistère Four bedroom large house comprises lounge, dining room, fitted kitchen, bathroom, utility room and small garden.

Maël-Carhaix, Côtes-d'Armor Two bedroom house set on approximately two acres of land includes outbuildings.

Ref: PLM01464

Energy rating = A

Ref: M786-4291476

Energy rating = E & F

Ref: 3262

140,000

170,640

185,000

Isolée, Morbihan Three bedroom house consists of living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom and landscaped garden.

In need of modernisation.

Laniscat, Côtes-d'Armor Four bedroom detached house set on one hectare of land.

Near Pontivy, Morbihan Four bedroom farmhouse consists of lounge, open-plan galley kitchen/dining room, bathroom, shower room, utility room, garden, garage and two outbuildings.

Ref: IFPC22333

Energy rating = F & D

Ref: 700423

Energy rating = D

Ref: BRC01294

216,000

240,750

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Evriguet, Morbihan Three bedroom stone house comprises three reception rooms, kitchen, bathroom and gardens.

Near Carhaix-Plouguer, Finistère Four bedroom house beautifully renovated consists of lounge, fitted kitchen/dining area, bathroom, outbuildings and garden.

Mauron, Morbihan Built in 1901 as a hotel this impressive eight bedroom detached property is ready to serve as either a bed and breakfast or a large private home.

REF: 700570

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288,900

332,000

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Bieuzy, Morbihan Six bedroom house set on two acres of land with swimming pool.

Fougères, Ille-et-Vilaine Five bedroom house comprises large lounge, fitted kitchen/dining area, two bathroom, workshop, outbuildings and swimming pool.

Fougères, Ille-et-Vilaine Five bedroom house entirely restored includes one bedroom guest house and numerous outbuildings.

Ref: 700600

Energy rating = C

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Energy rating = E

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Brittany Pages

Business and Legal 21

October 2012

JIM ADCOCK moved to France in 2007 after many years’ experience in corporate and small businesses, including practical freelance support. He runs Stairs2measure.com, providing made-to-measure wooden staircases, and is a founder member of The Brittany Business Network. He writes regularly for the Brittany Pages on local business issues and welcomes your feedback, comments and input.

On your marks for profit

Answered by

Legal Notes

Photo: © natasamandic - Fotolia.com

Unfinished jobs are frustrating for owners

Photo: © Melinda Nagy - Fotolia.com

Even small benefits can add up to a major increase in profit and businesses could do well to match sports behaviour

The end of a memorable summer of sport, capped by the Olympics and Paralympics, which has provided great entertainment has also caused me to think about some elements of sport in a wider context. Since moving to Brittany, cycling has been added to my list of sporting interests – the Tour de France has helped in understanding the emphasis on, and importance of, the team element in many cycling events both on the road and on the track.

BOTH the cycling teams from Sky and Team GB have enjoyed tremendous success, and it has been interesting to learn more about the process and management that have helped achieve it. The relation of the philosophy to business was of particular interest, not least the concept of ‘aggregation of marginal gains’.

In cycling terms, this involved looking at all elements on and off the bike that could each offer small benefits or improvements, but when added together these can generate an improvement in time or endurance for the athlete.

The same principles are of great help in businesses large and small, for example if a price increase of 1% of total sales value is applied to a business making 10% net profit – this generates an increase of 10% in net profit.

If the business cuts costs by 0.5% of total sales value through improved purchasing and the same by efficiencies, this would represent compounded improvements of just over a 20% increase in net profit!

Recognising the effect that small changes to sales revenue can make to eventual bottom line should drive behaviour when the age old

question ‘is there any discount’ is raised.

If there is the need to offer any discount use the salami approach – offer small amounts and in small increments, do not go from 5% to 10% but start as low as possible and increase by 1% or even 0.5%.

Returning to the sporting analogy, the approach taken

by Dave Brailsford in cycling is of particular interest.

He starts by endeavouring to have the very best coaches and specialists he can find in his team: not for him the fear of employing somebody who might one day take his job – something I have encountered often in the business world.

Surely if you have the best people the organisation can afford and can recruit, then the results benefit everyone.

My personal philosophy has always been that the best job security is success!

Hard work and the attention to detail plus an open mind to fresh ideas and different approaches form the base in the cycling example.

This is then reinforced by a strong team ethic – so, while success is not guaranteed it is extremely likely.

Most of these principles can be applied to business – and while medals are not handed out generally in the business world, surely aspiring to be the best in one’s chosen field is a good place to start.

Useful websites

The Brittany Business Network:  www.synergienet.com Business information:  www.apce.com

To find SIREN numbers, check the following sites:  www.infogreffe.fr  www.manageo.fr  www.societe.com

To contact Jim Adcock directly, email brittany@outsourced-org.com

THE authoritative guide to buying a home in France Written by the Notaires de France and published by Conseils des Notaires.

Available in English from The Connexion, priced 7.50 or £7 (plus postage and packaging) See our website www.connexionfrance.com

My builder seems to have quit work I asked a builder to renovate our house in France. I paid money on account for work and material. After a few weeks the builder started to slow down and now despite many emails and telephone calls, he no longer works on the site. What can we do? J.T. It is indeed frustrating. First you must ascertain whether the builder’s absence is temporary or whether he has “abandoned the site”. There is no legal definition as to what constitutes the non attendance on site.

You need to write a formal letter to the builder, which should be sent by recorded delivery, giving him a deadline to resume the works. If the builder does not comply, you can instruct a bailiff whose mission will be to confirm that the site is no longer attended by the builder, ascertain what works have been completed, and finally establish the schedule of problems in the works undertaken.

This report will be the evidence necessary to prove your case if the matter becomes contentious.

The builder is invited to attend the meeting on site. If he fails to turn up, the bailiff ’s conclusions will nevertheless be binding on him.

You then have the right to issue proceedings against the builder and seek an injunction to compel him to complete the works, or to decide that the building contract is terminated, leaving you at liberty to instruct another builder.

The costs of the new firm will be the responsibility of the initial builder, as will the legal costs of the proceedings.

My final comment is to recommend that for significant building works, it is a good idea to appoint a construction professional such as a surveyor, who would be able to oversee the builder’s progress, apply the necessary pressure, check the quality and finally assist you on the hand over.

22 Property

Brittany Pages

October 2012

Properties AROUND FRANCE

45,000 Montigny, Manche, Normandy One bedroom house to renovate consists of living room, kitchen, bathroom, shed, workshop, garage and garden.

Ref: 14025D

Energy rating = F & F

86,400 Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët, Manche, Normandy Three bedroom house consists of living room, furnished kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, garage and garden.

Ref: 14135D

Energy rating = e & f

99,000 Quillan, Aude, Languedoc Four bedroom house comprises dining room, kitchen, bathroom and garden.

Ref: 2082

Energy rating = C & D

126,000 Ségalas, Lot-et-Garonne Four bedroom farmhouse comprises large living room, kitchen, bathroom, garden and garage.

Ref: 83003159960

Energy rating = G & B

160,000 Moulins-la-Marche, Manche, Normandy Three bedroom house comprises open plan sitting room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, garage and garden.

Ref: IFPC22284

Energy rating = E & C

180,200 Monségur, Gironde Four bedroom Landes-style villa consists of sitting/dining room, kitchen, bathroom, conservatory, garage and woodland.

Ref: B 1198

Energy rating = D & B

210,000 Near Céret, Pyrénées-Orientales, Languedoc Two bedroom house and independent studio apartment includes large garden and swimming pool.

Ref: 2707

Energy rating = D

245,000 Near Villefranche-de-Lonchat, Dordogne Three bedroom bungalow comprises open plan living room/ kitchen, bathroom, utility room, garage, garden and swimming pool.

Ref: AQU-693

Energy rating = D & B

55,000

64,800

Quillan, Aude, Languedoc Two bedroom renovated semi-detached stone house comprises kitchen/sitting room and shower room. Ideal holiday home.

Pont d'Ouilly, Orne, Normandy One bedroom house consists of large kitchen/dining/sitting room, en suite shower room and separate garden.

Ref: 2091

Energy rating = F & D

Ref: 13516PO

89,100

97,100

La Coquille, Dordogne Three bedroom house comprises lounge, dining room, kitchen, breakfast room, bathroom, workshop and attached garage.

Mortain, Manche, Normandy Three bedroom house consists of living room, fitted kitchen, shower room, laundry room, boiler room, wine cellar, three garages and garden.

Ref: 700720

Energy rating = F

Ref: MNB01244

110,000

117,700

Monségur, Gironde Two bedroom town house with commercial premises. In need of modernisation.

Périers, Manche, Normandy Three bedroom house comprises living room, kitchen, bathroom, garden, paddock, garage and outbuildings.

Ref: BVI0007338

Energy rating = Not given

Ref: 13439sdd

138,600

149,800

Near Saint-Lô, Manche, Normandy Two bedroom house partially renovated comprises lounge, dining room, kitchen, shower room and outbuildings.

Ribérac, Dordogne Two bedroom stone house includes two stone barns and small fenced garden.

Ref: 13613s

Energy rating = F & C

REF: 700879

165,000

170,000

Near Corbières, Aude, Languedoc Three bedroom house comprises living room, kitchen, bathroom and two terraces.

Near Beaumont-du-Périgord, Dordogne One bedroom stone house set on five acres of land consists of living room, kitchen and bathroom.

Ref: AV1012

Energy rating = C

Ref: BVI0007407

185,000

205,000

Bessèges, Gard, Languedoc Two bedroom house consists of living room, kitchen/dining room, bathroom, shower room, terrace and garage.

Eymet, Dordogne This three bedroom detached bungalow comprises living/dining room, kitchen, bathroom, utility room, garage, garden and luxurious swimming pool.

Ref: IFPC22433

Energy rating = A & A

Ref: AQU-496

225,000

234,000

Cardet, Gard, Languedoc Four bedroom house consists of dining/living room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, terrace and garden.

Saint-Martin-de-Landelles, Manche, Normandy Six bedrooms house consists of living room, dining room, fitted kitchen, bathroom, garden, workshop and double garage.

Ref: C334

Energy rating = D & E

REF: MNB01226

262,500

279,575

Near Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Gard, Languedoc Three bedroom villa comprises living room, dining room, fitted kitchen, bathroom and garden.

Courcy, Manche, Normandy Two bedroom farmhouse consists of living room, kitchen with dining area, bathroom, garage, adjoining barn and outbuildings.

Ref: 2500vm

Energy rating = C

REF: 700005

280,000

295,800

315,000

Quillan, Aude, Languedoc Four bedroom house comprises sitting room, fitted kitchen, family bathroom, shower room, gardens, building plot and summer house.

Bellême, Orne, Normandy Five bedroom house consists of living/dining room, kitchen, bathroom, shower room, outbuilding with wine cellar and garage.

Near Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Gard, Languedoc Three bedroom restored house consists of reception area with kitchen, two living rooms, dining room and patio.

Ref: 2203

Energy rating = d & a

REF: XJN02333

Energy rating = D & D

Ref: 2492vm

320,000

328,600

363,000

Near Bergerac, Dordogne Four bedroom detached house includes living Room, dining room, kitchen, study, bathroom, shower room, integral garage, and swimming pool.

Roullours, Calvados, Normandy Two bedroom and one bedroom house with outbuildings set on 37 acres of land.

Limendous, Pyrénées-Atlantiques Three bedroom renovated Béarnaise farmhouse comprises dining room, living room, bathroom, barn and swimming pool.

Ref: IFPC22356

Energy rating = E & F

REF: 700497

Energy rating = E

Ref: 1609

Energy rating = G & D

Energy rating = e & e

Energy rating = f & b

Energy rating = e

Energy rating = A

Energy rating = e & c

Energy rating = B & B

Energy rating = d

Energy rating = D & B

Energy rating = f & c

Brittany Pages

Property and Finance 23

October 2012

Properties AROUND FRANCE

367,500

Sponsored by Energy rating = F

Sponsored by

www.worldfirst.com +44 20 7801 1050 Buying can be made simpler by fixing your rate in advance

What effect will rent charges have?

Photo: © JPC-PROD - Fotolia.com

Lacanau, Gironde Four bedroom house consists of living/dining room, kitchen, utility room, bathroom, en-suite bathroom, garden, pool house and swimming pool.

Photo: © Andy Dean - Fotolia.com

382,600

Ref: FPBIM10150

Finance

Jeremy Cook, chief economist at foreign exchange company, World First, talks about the Euro and other currencies.

La Baleine, Manche, Normandy Two semi-detached three bedroom Gîtes consists of large gardens and 18 hole mini-golf course. This property with its commercial activities has a great deal to offer.

REF: 700844

Currency Notes

Energy rating = c & b

384,950 Vimoutiers, Orne, Normandy Four bedroom house and two bedroom cottage currently run as a very successful B&B and Gîte business.

REF: IFPC22612

Energy rating = e & f

390,000 Capestang, Hérault, Languedoc Five bedroom house consists of three reception rooms, large kitchen/dining room, two bathrooms, two terraces and gardens.

REF: IFPC22685

Energy rating = E & C

424,000 Near Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, Orne, Normandy Stone house and two Gîtes set on 3 hectares of land comprises barn, stable, small fishing lake with carp and two swimming pools.

REF: 13643POJD

Energy rating = f & c

449,000 Near Beynac, Dordogne Four bedroom house set on seven hectares of land consists of lounge/dining room, kitchen, shower room, separate WC, terrace, conservatory and outbuilding.

Ref: FPBC3260C

Energy rating = e & b

472,000 Gironde Five bedroom renovated Maison de Maitre and one bedroom Gîte.

Ref: V5820

Energy rating = C & D

486,500 Pézenas, Hérault, Languedoc Five bedroom villa comprises living/dining room, kitchen, two bathrooms, utility room, garage, garden, carp pond, pool house and swimming pool.

Ref: LAR-615

Energy rating = c & a

535,600 Etrépagny, Eure, Normandy Four bedroom Old Mill house consists of living room, kitchen, two bathrooms, shower room, wine cellar, garden, small storage building and small house.

REF: 83003151870

Energy rating = e & c

564,000 Carcassonne, Aude, Languedoc Four bedroom house consists of living room with terrace, kitchen, bathroom, double garage, swimming pool and garden.

Ref: 110154179

Energy rating = C&A

Currency options can give protection THE continuing weakness of the euro against the pound has apparently not deterred people in the Eurozone from buying British property. Our latest data survey found that despite the decline of the euro in 2010 nearly half of all our transactions involving clients moving euros into GBP were property related.

On the other hand, a fragile euro has created some fantastic opportunities for Britons looking to invest in an overseas property in Europe. Our figures also suggest that the euro’s decline toward the end of last year contributed to a significant increase in property-related transfers from sterling to euro, despite the ongoing climate of austerity in the UK and beyond.

The unpredictability of the currency markets has seen an increasing number of people turning to foreign exchange specialists for advice on how they can protect any potential investments from currency fluctuations exposure. However, anyone looking to move large amounts of money overseas needs to make sure that they have the right kind of advice in place to avoid any potential disappointment when it comes to moving day.

By using a foreign exchange broker you can set a rate for a transaction happening up to three years ahead – so there are no nasty surprises on the day that you buy your home abroad. A select few companies are also now in a position to be able to offer “currency options” (formerly the preserve of big businesses) to the general market.

This means you can set an exchange rate in advance of your property purchase date, but you also guarantee that you will also see any financial benefit if the market subsequently moves in your favour.

Whether you are a UK resident looking to buy a property abroad, or if you are a non-UK resident looking to buy a property in Britain, a currency company will ensure the currency exchange happens in the most efficient way possible. They can transfer your money from your domestic bank account into your overseas account, and can convert from and to virtually any currency. If you are selling, they can bring your money home quickly and safely – using their own overseas accounts if appropriate.

By using an FSA regulated broker you will have complete peace of mind that your money is safe. With all the other complications associated with buying property overseas, the currency transfer is one thing you need to keep as simple and secure as possible.

For more information about making international money transfers with World First visit the website www.worldfirst.com or call +44 20 7801 1050

You must work out how the finances weigh up We have just bought a holiday home near Deauville and have been thinking about renting it out – but now we are not sure because the tax that we pay as non residents will eat significantly into any money we make. We are basic rate tax payers in the UK, and spend about eight weeks in France each year, but mostly out of season. If we pay CSG on our income, are we then entitled to French healthcover?

If you decide to rent out your property then you will need to make an annual declaration to the French authorities, and pay tax in France. The current flat rate for non residents is 20%.

It is true that France have now confirmed that they will be adding social charges to the tax liability that non-French residents pay on their rental income and capital gains tax on sale. Until now, this has been restricted to French residents, as the “social charge” (not to be confused with social security for healthcare and retirement). The social charges are however covered by the double tax treaty, and are therefore considered to be a tax available for credit against your UK self assessment return.

The difficulty is that, in effect, your final tax bill will be the higher of the two – so even if you pay 20% in the UK – the French tax charge will be higher – currently CSG is 15.5%, but it will be going up under ongoing budget proposals, which is added to the 20% as a non resident.

You can however chose which business regime to declare your income in France, which could keep the tax bill down – if you chose “real” accounting, then costs can be deducted against your rental income, including mortgage interest (but with an add back for personal use), advertising, changeover costs and taxe foncière. The other option is the micro which currently gives a 50% flat rate deduction for rental expenses.

That said, if the property is not let, or if you make a loss then no French income tax will apply.

The CSG (social charge) that you pay is only a “tax” and does not attract healthcare or other social security rights.

And far from being a temporary levy, President Hollande has plans to combine income tax and CSG into one rate, which will be deducted at source.

If you plan to rent out our advice is to do your sums first to see if it is worthwhile, it might well be – even if only to cover some of your fixed costs and to keep the property aired for when you want to enjoy it yourself!

24 The Back Page

Brittany Pages

October 2012

Jean-Michel’s historic stitch in time Jean-Michel Perennec is Brittany’s only male embroiderer and runs an association that is working hard to keep the local tradition going for future generations.

RAY CLANCY reports WHILE his classmates were kicking a ball around the school playground Jean-Michel Perennec was stuck at home due to a childhood illness – but that period of inactivity led him to a lifelong love of embroidery.

Today he can be found sitting in a corner of a studio in Pont-l’Abbé, Finistère, fingers flying as he sews with the brightly coloured orange thread that symbolises the traditions of Bigoudène embroidery.

Mr Perennec is the last male professional embroiderer in the region and fiercely determined to make sure that the skills and techniques are preserved and not forgotten.

Bigoudène embroidery is characterised by its bright colours and unique symbols, each of which have a different meaning and which relate to the countryside including the sea, hunting, plants, work and religion.

The designs can be found sewn in bright orange on the traditional black jackets worn by men on special occasions and at festivals as well as on tablecloths, cushions and wall hangings – while the women’s tall head-dresses have become one of the most well-known emblems in Brittany with their intricate lace.

Coats, jackets, trousers, blouses – all are decorated with the designs that are full of energy and are much sought after by Breton dance groups.

Mr Perennec first picked up a needle at the age of eight when he was stuck at home recuperating. He was inspired by his neighbours who looked after him when his parents were out at work. One was a tailor and embroiderer, the other a seamstress.

‘They gave me a passion for textiles and particularly for embroidery,’ he explained. He did not immediately set out to be a full-time embroiderer and it was not until he reached the age of 31 that an opportunity came up for him to take a full-time job at Le Minor studio in the town. Owner Gildas Le Minor is also passionate about the traditional style of sewing and is involved in promoting the skills involved and the family-run

‘‘

Embroidery keeps the past alive and supports hundreds of people in the region. The designs are recognised throughout France

Jean-Michel Perennec learnt about embroidery at the age of eight while he was being looked after when ill

Traditional Bigoudène embroidery designs THE traditional embroidery designs are based on symbols that embrace the countryside and nature. Each one also makes a statement.

The sun is for happiness, a peacock feather symbolises pride and ferns stand for abundance. The planets are said to bring luck, hearts love and a fishbone design is a reminder of the importance of the sea in terms of food and work. A saw blade motif stands for work, a ram’s horn for

strength and the chain of life is a reminder of faith in God. The first known examples of costumes decorated with embroidery date from the late 18th century but it was during the nineteenth century that they became more and more elaborate and colourful.

After the First World War there was a period of mourning and many people gave up wearing such brightly coloured clothes. But it

was revived in the 1930s for fetes and special occasions.

These traditional costumes were a favourite subject of Breton painter Mathurin Méheut in the early 20th century who feared that they were being lost. He loved painting people wearing them going about their everyday business and his paintings show embroidered aprons, shawls, waistcoats and hats.

business now takes commissions for all kinds of work including banners and wall hangings.

When he is not in the studio working on his latest creation, Mr Perennec is out creating awareness of the techniques. In 2007, he founded the association Maison de la Broderie et de la Dentelle Bigoudène to promote the tradition and keep it alive.

He organises embroidery contests, courses and exhibitions.

“It is important to keep local traditions alive. When it comes to embroidery it keeps the past alive and it supports hundreds of people in the region. The designs are specific to the region and they are recognised throughout the rest of France,” explained Mr Perennec.

Creating the intricate designs means understanding colour and how the threads change according to the stitches and the light. He pointed out that it is a labour of love. “I work alone, I am sitting down for hours on end. I can tell you that you need a good deal of patience for this job and nimble fingers and good eyesight. I need to work at a constant rhythm and work fast as well as being precise,” he added.

He is also looking to the future and wants to encourage as many people as possible to take up the delicate art of embroidery. “It is more than just preserving the traditions. I am always looking forward, making a country tradition live in the present and not just remain frozen. That means creating new designs, using colour and making the traditional motifs work,” said Mr Perennec.

With more than 70 members of the association and people from as far afield as Paris taking part in courses and competitions, he is confident that the word is spreading. But he is also urging tourism chiefs to help promote Bigoudène embroidery. “Much more needs to be done to preserve this country art as the culture will only survive if it renews itself and people take an interest,” he said.

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