Dates for volunteering in France 2023

Posted on January 11, 2023 by La Giraudiere

For 2023 there will be two volunteering programs. The 2023 Spring program which starts Monday the 1st of May and continues to the the 2nd July 2023.

The Second period ,The 2023 Summer program starts on the 31st July 2023 and continues until the 24th September 2023 The recommended volunteering period is 3 weeks but you can apply from 1 – 6 week in either or both of the 2023 periods. You can see what is planned for the 2023 program by visiting the website at Volunteers Objectives 2023

Open doors at La Giraudiere

Something new for 2023 is our Wednesday club whereby we will have open doors, or portes ouvert in French, inviting the local community of Brossac to come along and meet up and meet our group of volunteers and interns. This will be a good time to get to know the locals and learn of other events taking place within the community. We will be providing morning coffee or afternoon tea to our visitors.

volunteers library

Visitors will also be able to use make use of any of the faciliies at La Giraudiere including internet access, library, printing, photo copies etc.

volunteers project 2023

We also have a large collection of memrobilia, household goods, antiques, painting, etc etc items which will be up for sale. Proceeds acheived from the wednesday club will go towards the continuing restoration work at La Giraudiere, Volunteers and interns can also make suggestions for improving our contact with the local community as your input is vital.

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Student volunteer tips for an affordable weekend in Bordeaux

Posted on July 27, 2022 by La Giraudiere

Last weekend, my second weekend in France, I took a trip to Bordeaux. In this blogpost I will share all my tips for the best activities that do not cost too much. The train from Chalais to Bordeaux costs just a little over ten euros. 

The cathedral in Bordeaux against a blue sky
A picture of the biggest cathedral in Bordeaux

The hostel

I stayed at Auberge de jeunesse Hostel 20 in Bordeaux. I would definitely recommend this hostel for young (solo) travellers. The atmosphere was very social and it was extremely easy to meet new friends from all over the world. I spent most of my days with people I met at the hostel and at night we went out in Bordeaux with a big group. If you decide to book this hostel, book directly on the website. Their most basic option costs less than thirty euros a night. 

Free must-sees

You could spend weeks in Bordeaux and still find new places to visit. I tried to visit as many of these places as possible in just four days. If you have a short time in Bordeaux, I would definitely recommend you visit the Bordeaux Cathedral, Le Jardin Public and take a walk along the river. These three sights will give you an overview of what Bordeaux has to offer. All these activities will cost you nothing.

A pink tree in the Jardin Public in Bordeaux against a blue sky with a couple sitting underneath
Le Jardin Public in Bordeaux on a beautiful summer day

Affordable activities and museums

If you have more time in Bordeaux, there are a few beautiful museums you could visit. I particularly recommend the Musée des Beaux-Arts. It is a small, but impressive museum which houses a collection of European artworks. The musée d’Aquitaine and Muséum de Bordeaux – sciences et nature are also very interesting if you are interested in local or natural history respectively. All these museums offer excellent prices for students. Tickets are around three euros.  

Five pieces of art, four paintings and one statue, in the Musée of Beauxs Arts in Bordeaux
A piece of art in the Musée des Beauxs Arts in Bordeaux

I also visited many amazing and cheap restaurants during my time in Bordeaux. I will share these tips in my next blog. I hope you decide to visit Bordeaux when staying at La Giraudière.

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Sisters volunteering in France

Posted on July 19, 2022 by La Giraudiere

My sister and I, Josephine and Mary, wanted to meet up and experience volunteering in France together.
I found La Giraudière through Google by entering the words “Volunteering in France while learning french”. La Giraudière came up  immediately. I read through the details which sounded great.  I emailed Paul and received a reply very quickly with all the information about La Giraudière. I read the entire booklet then emailed it to my sister. We both thought it sounded ideal.  We applied separately filling in the forms completely letting Paul know we were serious. We were staying in Menton together for our first week so found the best route to La Giraudière was by train stopping off in Toulouse for the night. We caught the early train from Toulouse to Bordeaux the following morning then another train on to Chalais where Paul picked us up.

Our stay in France

The accommodation at La Giraudière is perfect.  We had our own spacious apartment c/w bathroom and patio. Another person could have shared as there were 3 bedrooms. The meals were very good, each volunteer was on a rota so you cooked approximately once a week. Laundry facilities were excellent. The volunteering was varied and according to your own abilities.  If you didn’t know how to do something you just asked Paul. He is extremely patient and helps you in any way he can.

Two woman sitting outside in the sun enjoying a drink and smiling
Two sisters enjoying the French life

We felt very comfortable with the other volunteers and enjoyed their company. The french teachers are also excellent. Paul makes sure you are able to be involved with the community by walks they do on Sundays, meals together in the area, outings and yoga/fitness classes if you are interested.  There is a swimming étang a short 15 minute walk away where we swam most days just before dinner.  All in all the whole experience was so much better than we had anticipated. We would have no hesitation in recommending La Giraudière to anyone – young or not so young!  The countryside is peaceful but vibrant.


A huge thanks to Paul for our first volunteering experience!

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Interns and volunteers organise braderie in France

Posted on July 16, 2022 by La Giraudiere
Beautiful French posters and English china

Bonjour tout le monde!

My journey to France as a volunteer

My name is Fleur. I am 21 years old and I just arrived at La Giraudière from the Netherlands two days ago. I was supposed to arrive here on Monday, but my train was delayed. So I spent the night at a Hotel in Angouleme. Actually, I had a great time. Angoulême is a beautiful town, about an hour from Brossac. 

Tuesday morning, Paul picked me up at the station in Chalais and brought me to La Giraudière. He introduced me to the interns, Sarah, Yasimin, Ranson and they showed me what they have been working on. 

The interns and volunteers organised a braderie selling these beautiful French posters

Organising a braderie in France

For the last few months, the interns and volunteers at La Giraudière have been busy organising a braderie, both online and in person. A braderie is a common phenomenon in France where people sell vintage items and antiques on the streets in market stalls. La Giraudiére hosted a live braderie from the fourteenth to the sixteenth of July. Beside this, the interns created a commercial website for the braderie so people can keep buying our items online. Check it out at https://brossacbraderie.com/. 

The interns and volunteers also sold these children’s toys and books

We sold a lot of different items such as beautiful vintage posters, whole sets of English China, children’s books and small pieces of furniture. During the braderie, I helped the interns wherever I could. We set up a bar so people could buy coffee and refreshments. The braderie provided me with a great opportunity to practise my French and meet the local population! It was a great beginning of my time in France at La Giraudière.

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La Grande Ouverture Brossac Braderie

Posted on July 7, 2022 by La Giraudiere

La Giruaidiere interns and volunteers create a braderie which is to be open on the 14, 15 and 16 July. There is also a website located at https://brossacbraderie.com/ whereby you can inspect benfore you buy you can also click pay and collect those items which you have been searching for.

Products will initialy be available under the following catorgories

Brossac Braderie is situated at La Giraudiere which is just one kilometer from the village of Brossac. Brossac is in the department of the Charente which inturn is in the region of Nouvelle Aquitaine in the South West of France. The Braderie is probably one of the first online brocants, or braderies, in France. The first website for Brossac Braderie is published in English as we have an international following. Fo the benefit of our local community A French version will be published soon.

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