Stan Millward Association Programme

Sharon has announced a huge programme of events for the 2023 season!

Please remember, all events must be reserved and paid for in advance.

Thu 6th April 2:30  Hotel de Ville d'Angoulême

subject to change depending on public pension protests scheduled for the 6th

Visit to the Courtyard, Bedroom of Marguerite d'Angoulême, Salon & Majestic Staircase +Towers and Roof

We have organised a private tour for our group and I can assure you that there is much to see from the Middle Ages to the 18th Century. The rooftop panoramic views are lovely. 

Do bring your cameras ! There are flights of stone steps as well as internal staircases – but it's worth the effort, for sure !

11€ per person – of which 2€ will be donated to ASM. 

If you wish to join us for a memorable visit, please let me know no later than this Friday lunchtime 12pm 31st March

Sat 8th April: Easter Garden Party

We thought it would be nice to celebrate this Spring weekend in the garden if the weather is fine or indoors if it's chilly and/or wet. Thanks to the culinary expertise and enthusiasm of some friends, we would like to offer you traditional toasted and buttered hot cross buns, delicious slices of Earl Grey and lemon fruit tea bread and also moist and flavourful lemon drizzle cake accompanied by either tea, coffee or a glass of fruit juice.

Places are 10€ per person.

Wed 10th May French Inheritance Law

room for a few more (as at 2nd May)

Following changes to French inheritance law, Maître Perillaud has kindly agreed to come along and update you and also answer any questions that you may have. An update of the tug of war between France and the European Court regarding France's position on family legacies

As usual, I would ask you to reserve your places. 5€ per person.

Sat 13th May: A Cornucopia of Cheeses

Sorry, all booked out for this year

Come and join us for a super selection of 8 really tasty, top quality British cheeses, pickles and an assortment of biscuits and crackers. Served with tea, coffee or a glass of red wine. 

12€50 per person. Places need to be reserved no later than 15th April.

Sat 27th May Cream teas

Beautiful scones generously spread with strawberry jam, fresh strawberries and wonderfully whipped thick cream. And other culinary delights to tickle your taste buds ! And don't forget another selection of top notch Raffle Prizes.

10€ per person, including Raffle Ticket.

14:15 1st June Guided Visit of Cathédrale Saint Pierre

Includes viewing of the Stunning Trésor

Built between 1100 and 1128 this Roman church is well worth a visit. Its exceptional architecture and sculpture have undergone a huge programme of restoration over many years. The Cathedral Treasury contains some stunning pieces within the three rooms which hold the display. There is much to see and to enthral visitors. 

€11.50 per person - meet at the Cathedral entrance @ 14:15

15:00 Wed 14th June: A-Z vineyard guided tour

Join sisters Anne-Laure and Blandine for an inside visit for now. These charming young ladies took over the business from their parents just over 10 years ago. They produce wine, pineau and cognac and you will have the opportunity to taste them, of course.

We will also be taken through the vines. In addition to alcoholic beverages there are oils, flavoured pastas and honey for sale. We shall drive down the N10 and then enjoy wonderfully picturesque rolling hills covered with vines. I can thoroughly recommend their Merlot, for sure !

€5 per person 

Sat 24th June Cream teas

 10€ per person, including Raffle Ticket.

Mon 26th June Guided Visit to Honey Farm

Once again we shall have our own private tour and the opportunity to learn about these wonderfully interesting and important creatures, as well as tasting their marvellous produce and being able to purchase honey based items. 5€ per person.

15:00 Wed 5th July: A-Z vineyard guided tour

repeat of June visit: €5 per person

Thu 20th July 2:30  Hotel de Ville d'Angoulême

A possible 3rd visit to the Hotel de Ville; if you are interest, please get in touch ASAP

Dates to be confirmed

Guided tours to be finalised:

• Guided visit of the Ramparts.
• Flower arranging demonstration by Veronica Carter May and maybe more later in the year - esp for Christmas.
• Drift along the Charente as in the days of yore on board a fully restored gabarre. Join us for a really relaxing and interesting journey. We can't fix a date just yet, as a meeting is to be held as to the future of the Gabarre. Either a commercial company will take over the organisation or the Association will play a part. More anon

The Association

All events will be organised as a means of continuing to raise funds for the Department of Oncology at Girac Hospital. 

Our main project last year was to raise €6,000 to cover the cost of virtual reality equipment which is used to lower a patient's blood pressure, relieve stress and worry, help with sleep issues and stimulate appetite – to name but a few issues. Thanks to such wonderful support throughout 2022 we raised enough funds for the equipment to be purchased and it should be delivered at the end of March and be in use from April onwards. 

I would like to acknowledge a generous donation of €3,000 from Crédit Agricole to help us in this and we are now in a position during 2023 to contribute sufficient funds for the purchase of some virtual reality panels to be placed in two “boxes” (small chemotherapy treatment rooms). I will provide more details in due course and hope to obtain permission to take some photographs.

Booking

All events should be pre-booked and paid for in advance

Contact Sharon  by phone 05 45 22 87 36 or email

Ostensions Limousines 2023

This year will be the 73rd occasion for the 7-yearly processions through 20 or so communes within Charente, Creuse, Haute-Vienne & Vienne: Abzac 16, Aixe-sur-Viennes 87, Aureil 87, Chaptelet 87, Charroux 86, Crocq 23, Esse 16, Étagnac 16, Eymouthiers 87, Guéret 23, Jardenat 16, Le Dorat 87, Limoges 87, Saint-Junien 87, Saint-Just-le-Martel 87, Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat 87, Saint-Victurnien 87, Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche 87. 

 

Every 7-years since 1512, the communes of the Limousin region gather to commemorate the epidemic that ravaged the area in 994 killing  as many as 40,000 people. During the summer of that year, the crops of rye had been infected by an ergot fungi. As the crop was harvested and milled so the flour and consequently the bread made from it became infected with ergotism. Rye bread, a staple in medieval Europe's diet, containing the poison consumed over time causes a number of unpleasant symptoms frequently leading to death:

• hallucinations, psychosis, convulsions and other central nervous system effects 
• an intense burning pain in the skin all over the body with huge serum-filled blisters giving the disease one of its names St Anthony's Fire
• poor blood flow leading to gangrene in the extremities and the loss of fingers, toes and even whole limbs
  

As a response to the epidemic the first Ostension was a procession to the Puy de Gaudy (near Guéret) ; the people, believing the epidemic was a punishment from God, asked for the intercession of Saint Martial to alleviate their suffering.

Limousin (and throughout Aquitaine at the time) appears to have suffered the worst incidence of this scourge but it was quite common throughout Europe until wheat began to replace rye as the favoured grain crop (wheat is resistant to the fungus which is why the British Isles, where rye was rarely grown,  managed to avoid its effects). Although the Order of Saint Anthony was explicitly founded in 1095 with the purpose of caring for those afflicted with the disease, the cause was not properly understood until 1596 and later in 1778 methods were found to prevent or deal with the fungus. However, the fungus still persists: a severe outbreak occurred in 1951 at Pont-Saint-Espirit (in the Rhône valley near Montelimar) killing 5 and, during 2001, contaminated barley caused another outbreak in Ethiopia.

Calendar of Events

Sat 19 March Limoges: The official opening of the 73rd Ostensions Limousines  where the surrounding communes gather along with the ostentation parishes

Monday 10 April Abzac ancient priory/hospital of the Limoges diocese known for its procession of the saints Lucius and Emerite, beginning on Easter Monday
Sat/Sun 15/16 April Limoges celebrates saint Martial (first bishop of Limoges), saint Aurélion (his successor), saint Loup (bishop of Limoges during the 7th century) and saint Valerie
Sunday 23 April Saint-Just-le-Martel this village, a suburb of Limoges, venerates Saint-Just, a shepherd who lived alongside the great saint Hilaire of Poitiers in the 5th century
Sunday 30 April Eymoutiers According to tradition, the village dates back to the 10th century and the founding of a monastery built on the tomb of the hermit Psalmet who came from Ireland to live in the forest of Grigeas.
Sunday 7 May Saint-Yreix-la-Perche the city celebrates its founder, Aredis, a hermit during the 6th century who founded a monastery at Attane and was later canonised as Saint-Yrieix

Sunday 14 May Saint-Victurnien where they celebrate the patron saint of this small village, saint Victurnien, who, legend has it, came from Scotland to live as a hermit
Thursday 18 May Javerdat the parish venerates saint Blaise
Sat/Sun 20/21 May Aixe-sur-Vienne the town celebrates Notre-Dame-d’Arliquet and its patron saint Alpinien, a companion of Saint Martial
Sunday 21 May Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat the Miaulétous celebrate their founding saint, saint Leonard, a Frankish hermit of the 5th century

Sunday 28 May Rochecouart the city of the Viscounts, celebrate saint Julien de Brioude, a Roman soldier martyred during the rule of Diocletian in 304
Monday 29 May Esse a small village in Charente-Limousine that is home to the only museum dedicated to the ostentations phenomena; venerate the protomartyr saint Étienne
Sunday 4 June Le Dorat the capital of the ancient county of Basse Marche, honours two  13th century saints: Israël and Théobald
Sunday 11 June Charroux the only ostentation in the Vienne (the Benedictine monks of Charroux were reputed to have relics of St Anthony believed to be themselves, a cure for The Fire of St Anthony)
Sunday 18 June  Chaptelat the village celebrates its most famous inhabitant, saint Éloi de Noyen, advisor to King Dagobert (605-639 last of the Merovingen dynasty), founder of Solignac in 632 and bishop of Noyen and Tournai
Sunday 25 June Saint-Junien honours Saint-Junien du Limousin and his master saint Amand de Coly who retired to the ancient forest of Comodoliac in the 5th century
Saturday 1st July Aureil this village, situated a few kilometers from Limoges, celebrates its founder, saint Gaucher and his disciple saint Foucher who lived in the 9th century
Sunday 2 July Limoges celebrates saint Martial (first bishop of Limoges), saint Aurélion (his successor), saint Loup (bishop of Limoges during the 7th century) and saint Valerie
Sunday 16 July Crocq in the Creuse Department, where they venerate saint Éloi (a tryptiche tracing the life of the saint can be seen in the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation in the heart of the village)
Sunday 10 September Étagnac
Sunday 17 September Nexon saint Ferréol, bishop of Limoges in the 6th century, is venerated there
Sunday 1st October Pierre-Buffière where they celebrate saint Côme and saint Damien, a monk who offered free medical services
Sunday 8 October Guéret prefecture of the Creuse Department; during the ostentations, 3 saints are venerated: Pardoux, Roch et Valéric

Bus Service

Bus Service Champagne-Mouton - Confolens

On Friday 2 September, transport on demand will take people to Confolens to do their shopping. Anyone living up to twenty kilometres from Champagne-Mouton can take advantage of this service. 

• The CALCCM minibus can collect people from their homes. 
• Departure around 8am, return around noon. 
• On Fridays 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 September

Information and registration required on 05 45 31 92 93 or 06 41 17 84 85 calccm@wanadoo.fr

Journées du Patrimoine 2022

A European-wide event celebrating local heritage on the weekend of 17th & 18th September. 

Search for events anywhere in Europe

Events local(ish) to north Charente include:

• Aigre (Villejesus): discover the houses, gardens, etc of the village 
• Alloue
• Maison Maria Casares: guided tours round the Logis, an exhibition and youth performances
• Logis de l'Age: creative artisan displays
• Place du Maquis Foch: 15:00 live wash-day at the lavoir
• la Gare: history of le Petit Mairat & the life of Paul Mairat
  
• Angouleme
• Hotel de Ville - various activities
  
• guided tour round the Circuit de Ramparts 
• visit City Museum 
• visit Musee du Papier
  
• Isle d'Espagnac - guide tour of mill & Logis de Saint-Eloi
• race Mario Kart round the Circuit de Ramparts
• Aubterre sur Dronne: guided tour through the town
• Aunac sur Charente: guided tour round moulin de Bayers
• Availle-Limouzine:
• (Sun 16:30) concert by the old presbytery
• (Sun 10:00 @ mairie) tour round the local lavoirs
• exhibition and demonstration of  ancient farming tools: Availles-Limouzine, hameau de Lésigny, hameau le Coux
• Barbezieux: visit the Château, vehicles from Circuit de Ramparts and other activities
  
• Bassac: guided tour around the Abbey of Bassac and other buildings 
• Bioussac: visit gardens and sculptures 
• Champagne-Mouton: exhibition on history of the château
  
• Charroux: visit the abbey and lanterne
  
• Chassenon: guided visits around Cassinomagus and onsite presentations
  
• Châteauneuf: visit municipal gallery exhibition for work by 2 artists in residence
• Chazelles: guide tour through commune & church of Saint Martin (in French (10:30) and English (14:00) 
• Cognac: visit museum of art and history and other locations
• Confolens: guided tour, exhibitions, etc
  
• Chazelles: Pre-History exhibition & workshops 
• Dignac: guided tour through the commune
  
• Gond-Pontouvre: tour of the Rochine quarter and old cemetaries
  
• Gourville: visit the Railway Station Museum 
• Jarnac: visit Maison Natele de François Mitterand
• Jarnac: musical walk through the town
  
• La Rochette: visit the Romanesque church of Saint Sébastien 
• La Rochfoucauld: visit the château
• Lessac: guided tour of Domaine de Boisbuchet
• Moulin de Javrezac: visit the mill and artists at work 
• Montbron: presentation on pre-history
  
• Moulidars: Pigeonnier d'Ardennes and traditional dance & music demonstrations
  
• Nanteuil: Guided tour of the village 
• Ruffec: guide tour round church of Saint André, its facade and monuments
  
• Saint Armant de Boixe: visit abbey, museum, gardens and the crypt 
• Saint Coutant: visit the Chateau de Puybautier
  
• Saint Cybardeaux: visit interpretive centre for the Roman amphitheatre (le Bouchard) and other exhibitions
• St Martins l'Ars: visit the Abbaye Royale de La Réau
  
• Saint Maurice de Lions: visit the pigeonnier
  
• Saint-Même-les-Carrières: guided tours through the commune, its château, church, etc
  
• Saint Simeux: walks and exhibitions 
• Surin: visit the Cahteau de Cibioux
  
• Moulin sur Tardoire: visit Mouil de la Pierre
• Torsac: treasure hunt & exhibition
• Tousac: visit centre of modern art, pottery workshop and more
  
• Trois-Palis: guided tour 
• Vaux-Roulliac: guide tour through the commune and its windmill
  
• Verteuil: tour following the guide book la belle vues de Verteuil
• Vilhonneur: visit the Placard caves and interactive gallery
  
• Vouthon: exhibition on Archeologist David Pierre
• Yvrac-et-Malleyard: visit the Knights Templar chapel
  

Train Journeys

For those interested in historic railways, there are several routes in service over the weekend

Checkout the European Heritage Days page for details throughout France

64th Confolens Festival

the one Don't Miss event in Confolens

This year, the format of the festival gets back to its normal style! There are lots of events happening each day featuring 10 international dance troupes, 5 international groups of musicians and 3 concert artistes

Contact points

• Festival & Ticket Office: beside the Cinema, Market Hall & at the Festival Site
  
• Online: www.festivaldeconfolens.com
• Phone: 05 45 84 00 77
• Online booking
  

Main Concerts

• 9 Tue 16:30-17:30 Ze Radcliffe Fanfare in Concert St Maxime's 8€ 
• 9 Tue 21:00-late Opening Gala - all 10 troupes Theatre Ribiére 27€
• 10 Wed 17:00-18:00 Bahamas National Youth Choir in Concert St Maxime's 8€
• 10 Wed 21:00-late Debout sur le Zinc + HK in Concert Theatre Ribiére 25€
• 11 Thu 15:00 Horizon of the World - 5 troupes Theatre Ribiére 15€
• 11 Thu 16:30-17:30 Tuna Feminina de la Universidad de Salamanca in Concert St Maxime's 8€
• 11 Thu 21:00-late Creation Ephémére - 4 troupes Theatre Ribiére 15€
• 13 Sat 16:30-17:30 Ensemble Naiden Kirov in Concert St Maxime's 8€
• 13 Sat 21:00-late Gauvin Sers in Concert Theatre Ribiére 29€
• 14 Sun 21:00-late Creation Ephémére - 6 troupes Theatre Ribiére 18€
• 15 Mon 21:00-late Festival Farewell - all 10 troupes Theatre Ribiére 27€

Street Dancing

Definitely try and get to at least one of these events, even if you book for the concerts. Friday night's street party, in particular, is spectacular! All the troupes move among several dance stages scattered about the town. Also, food and drink is available around the town square and at the festival site

• 12 Fri 18:00-late Street parade, roaming dances with all troupes, fireworks display 9€
  
• 14 Sun 15:00+ Street parade and roaming dances with all troupes 9€
• 15 Mon 15:00+ Street parade and roaming dances with all troupes 9€

You can book online or usually as you enter the town - the centre is otherwise blocked off for the duration. A programme and map should be given to you as you enter. The parade  meanders through town between the new bridge and the festival centre.

Other events

• Singing workshop with the Bahamas choir at St Maxime's 10€
  
• Dance workshops - Market Hall  10€
  
• Festi'Bambins for festival-goers 6-11 3€
  
• Folk'Enfants - Family dancing with various troupes - Les Ribéres 6€
  
• Festival Colour Run 12€
  

Venues

• Ribiéres Theatre - Primary festival Stage and Festival site on the road to St Germain
  
• St Maxime's Church - in the town centre
• Market Hall - in the town centre with food and drink stalls in the square and the Guinguette
  

Maison Maria Casarès: Summer Season 2022

Summer Season : July 25 - August 19

Every summer now, the Maison Maria Casarès Summer Festival celebrates theatre shows, heritage, nature and conviviality. 

For four weeks, they offer a program structured around heritage visits, sound trails in the gardens, theatre performances as well as dishes and meals from local gastronomy. Thier snack-shows, aperitif-shows and dinner-shows punctuate each day, offering healthy and energetic food for body and soul! 

Audio Tour

"Fragments of other" : correspondence between Maria Casarès and Albert Camus 

5€ Daily, Mon-Fri - hourly from 14:30 until 19:00 (duration 40 minutes)

An audio tour in the gardens of the Domaine de la Vergne; discover one of the most beautiful love correspondences exchanged between two artists.
Equipped with an audio headset, you can follow this walk at your own pace allowing you to discover the richness and tranquility of the park. At each stage, you will listen to an exchange between the two lovers which will give way to the music of Aurélien Dumont (the composer associated with La Maison Maria Casarès between 2019 and 2021).

Aurélien Dumont wrote this original work echoing this correspondence, revealing emotions, ambiguity and power through music.

A journey through the lands of Maria Casarès, to meet two sacred giants of theatre and literature. An intimate and captivating experience.

Exhibition

Maria Casares at the National Popular Theatre

5€ Open Mon-Fri, from 14:30 until 18:00

Discover Maria Casarès' contribution to the dramatic art of the 20th century.
This year, we have decided to publicize one of the most emblematic theatrical adventures of her career: that of the Théâtre National Populaire and the Festival d'Avignon directed by Jean Vilar.

The values promoted by Vilar and his "popular theatre for all" resonate particularly with our festival and our approach: the troupe, the great texts, the summer scenes, the link with the public...  

Thanks in particular to exceptional loans from Maison Jean Vilar (costumes and models), discover the life of an extraordinary troupe in which Maria Casarès, just like her alter ego Gérard Philipe (whose centenary it is also 2022), occupied an essential place. 

A story punctuated by international tours and the challenges of the actress in the face of some of the greatest roles in the repertoire (Lady Macbeth, Marie Tudor, Phèdre). 

Afternoon Outdoor Show

"Young Rivers"

5€ Mon-Fri: 16:30 each day

In the Bassyns area, separated from an immense forest by a river, Jan, a little boy with heart disease, has always been locked up in his home by Marra, his mother who lives in fear of losing him. However, Jan dreams of going out, discovering his garden, the forest opposite and why not the ocean. One day, while he is doing his daily gymnastics, he sees through his window a young girl coming out of the river. Then it's time to run away and it's time to chase.

In a magical nature, two young people go on an adventure to gain their freedom.

Written especially for the Domaine de la Vergne park, this text was commissioned by La Maison Maria Casarès from author and director Paul Francesconi for the 2022 Summer Festival.

The show is followed by a snack served in the estate's gardens

 

Evening Outdoor Show

"Like emptying the Sea with a Spoon"

5€ Mon-Fri: 18:30 each day

An essential storyteller, Yannick Jaulin takes us into this show at the heart of primitive stories. Based on religious stories, he humorously questions our need for answers and infinity, while wondering what we can do with these stories today. He approaches the texts of the religions of the book for what they are: tales, stories with multiple versions, with astonishing developments, and therefore with infinite interpretations. And to the deadly dimension when they are reduced to a truth.

With his unparalleled verve and humour, his relationship to the land (paradise is apparently in the Deux-Sèvres!), thanks to the flavor of a spoken language as well as his passion for tales and legends, Yannick Jaulin takes you on a visit to the "sacred" texts that underpin our society.

For the Summer Festival, Yannick Jaulin offers a new outdoor version of his show created in January 2015 at La Coursive - Scène nationale de La Rochelle.


The show is accompanied by an aperitif.

Dinner Show

"The Tartuffe or the Hypocrite"

Original adaptation of Molière by Georges Forestier

25€ Mon-Fri: 20:00 followed by dinner

In a bourgeois family, Orgon, the father, decides to take in the devout Tartuffe in his house. The presence of this "holy man" in the home and his influence on the master of the house will upset the family balance. Despite his devotion, this man sighs for Elmire, Orgon's wife. The more the members of the family try to open Orgon's eyes, the more Tartuffe emerges victorious from these confrontations. Until the final fall...

Tartuffe is undoubtedly one of Molière's greatest masterpieces. However, the first version of the play censored by the Church has disappeared. On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Molière's birth, Georges Forestier, after extensive research work, recreated this original version in 3 acts bringing a new point of view to the character of Tartuffe. It is this version, also presented this year at the Comédie Française, that we propose to discover. 

The show continues with a dinner in the park.

The "Pat" line

The Stan Millward Association have a new event planned - a talk on the French Resistance. Here are Sharon's words:

I should have been sending out this e-mail just over two years ago, after I'd welcomed Dick Hallam and his brother, Eric, to my home in order to discuss the possibility of Dick giving a talk about the Resistance in France during the war years. And then along came Covid........

Dick, who lives in England, has spent decades doing family research –especially relating to the Second World War – and later giving talks about The Resistance in France and some of its members. He has not only been invited to give talks in the UK, but has also been a guest speaker in Paris and Holland and has recently been invited to give yet another talk in Paris. In addition he has also conducted two battlefield tours of Chania, Crete.

Dick will introduce us to “The Tartan Pimpernel” ( aka Rev. Donald Caskie ) and as we get to know more about this amazing “professional spook” he will regale us with information about “The Pat Line” (as The Marseille Escape Line is generally known as today) and other events of note.

I am truly delighted that Dick has agreed to share his well-researched knowledge with us and he has most generously declined any fee – wishing his talk to enable us to raise more funds for Association Stan Millward. So, as usual, I shall be asking each person to donate 5€ - all of which will be given to Améthyste to provide support to those who suffer from and live with cancer.

So if you would like to come along and join our adventure and learn about many interesting and exciting events, please get in touch and reserve your places. I shall then confirm places upon receipt of either a bank transfer or a cheque made payable to Association Stan Millward.

 Dick will be giving his talk at Sharon's home in Valence on Wednesday 18th May in two sessions

• 10:30 Wednesday 18th May
  
• 15:00 Wednesday 18th May
  

Please state your preferred time when reserving your place.

Venue : Le Levant du Soleil, 31 rue du Lavoir, 16460, Valence.

Price : €5 per person. 

Please bring your own chair to sit on

We are surely in for a real fact-finding, enjoyable and entertaining event ! 

Reservations only please: you can reserve by email or phone Sharon on 05-45-22-87-36. Payment should be received in advance preferably by direct transfer; ask for bank details when you contact Sharon

The Stan Millward Association

Thank you all for your continued interest and stalwart support. It is greatly appreciated – by the staff of the Oncology department at Girac and especially by the patients themselves.

As usual your 5€ donation per person which will go to Association Stan Millward. Please don't forget, places are only confirmed and reserved once your 5€ per person has been received.

The fundraising for 2022 will be to raise money to enable Améthyste to purchase a virtual reality treatment package in order to help reduce anxiety and pain.

As always, the ASM accounts are always available for scrutiny with 24 hours notice; a copy is deposited every January at the Sous-Préfecture in Confolens.