Looking for workers/ volunteers to convert a castle into yoga retreat
BACKGROUND
Our 17th-century castle is located in the beautiful region of Gascony (South West of France, one hour away from Toulouse). The property is surrounded by farmland where we grow cereals, a large park around the castle and a separate building currently being renovated with the aim of hosting holistic and yoga retreats from May 2018 onwards.
Gascony is often referred to as the Tuscany of France. One of the country’s best kept secrets, famous for its gastronomy, hours-long meals and ‘’douceur de vivre’’, the region is close to the Pyrenees mountains and stretches between Toulouse and Bordeaux. It has one of the country’s lowest population density and offers peaceful, magnificent landscapes including rolling hills, wooded valleys, vineyards, sunflowers and a plethora of charming arcade village squares. A truly unspoilt region, voted 2nd best place in the world for quality of life by the Telegraph, the “Gers” (as called by the locals) will give you a real sense of authenticity with weekly farmer markets filled by charming locals keen to introduce you to their land.
A large part of the farm was sadly destroyed by a fire a few years ago and our family has been working on it ever since to try and put the house back on its feet.
My wife and I are in our mid thirties and are now on our own to manage the project. We currently run the farm on the side of two full time jobs, as it is not financially viable on its own.
In the future we would love to build a community around the castle: a group of nature lovers who would cherish the amazing history of this place as much as we do. It’s a massive and exciting project and we have plenty of ideas of how to turn the place into a vibrant community but currently lack the necessary resources /workforce to make it happen.
Against this background, we would love to welcome skilled workers and/or volunteers to help us with this project. Construction works will last from May to October 2017, and workers/ volunteers can stay anytime between 1 week to 4 months. There are a dozen large bedrooms so we don’t lack space.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
Below are some examples of areas where we need most help; there are needs for any tastes & skills:
Contribute to the build-up of new Yoga & Retreat Center
Help clean area prior to construction works (we are renovating an old barn and we will have to take down a few ceilings / walls prior to the start of constructions. We will need help to remove the items and sort them to recycle materials for the new yoga building)
Restore the barn’s windows (trimming, painting)
Gardening
growing an organic vegetable garden. Help with maintenance/improvement of 7 acres park surrounding the castle
Home improvement
Help restore antique furnitures
Help reorganize a magnificent 17th century library room by putting books back on the shelves and decorating the room
Help with bedrooms decoration & cleaning
Painting of a few walls / antique doors still bearing marks of the fire
Help restore 16th century stairway (oldest part of the house/ main entrance) with plasters onto walls
Help with rehabilitation / clean up of small chapel
Cooking
Great teamwork requires great cooks! We will provide the food (including some delicious local products from the region) but will need people to help with preparing meals and run the kitchen.
COMPENSATION
In exchange for their contribution, workers/ volunteers would get:
Free accommodation under the sun (the region hardly ever gets rain in the summer)
Free meals (3 times a day), soft drinks and wine/beers at night
We are working with a pretty stretched budget but will also offer:
Some financial compensation for tradesmen/skilled workers based on experience and hours of contribution
Pocket money for volunteers
Namaste,
Cappy & Romain
Bookmark Job
You must sign in to bookmark this listing.