Make 2011 your best year yet in Normandy

A wealth of organisations and council-funded schemes are in place throughout Normandy to help you realise big projects, learn new skills and generally enjoy yourself more in 2011.

From special grants for home renovations to discount sport schemes and support networks for new businesses, now is the ideal time to seek out the initiatives that are available to you locally.

Eat better

Cut out the supermarket middlemen and buy your fresh food direct from local producers, using a special scheme called Amap (Associations pour le Maintien d’une Agriculture Paysanne), which is designed to cut down on food miles and excessive packaging, encourage healthy eating and develop community links between consumers and farmers.

There are 33 branches of the organisation around Normandy, spread around each of the departments, except the Manche, where none has been set up yet. Each branch signs a contract with one or several farmers to supply produce every week, including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs, bread, cheese, milk, cider, juices and honey.

The farmer provides the Amap group with a big delivery and volunteers then split the produce up into individual boxes for each member to collect from an agreed pick-up point at a fixed time each week.

Eating locally means eating seasonally, and the contents of the box will vary each week depending on what is available. Individuals can swap products among others in the group depending on their tastes and dietary needs.

Prices also vary. Annual membership is typically about €10, plus an agreed fixed rate for each box. A box for a week for two adults and a child will typically cost between e15 and e25, depending on what is included. For a single person, €10 should buy a box with about 3kg of produce inside.

The biggest Amap in Normandy is in Elbeuf (Eure). It has 240 members and organises weekly drop-offs in four neighbouring towns, with material sourced from 20 local producers. Some of the big schemes run all year round; others start up again in the spring. See www.reseau-amap.org for your nearest group.

If you have several Amaps in your area, it is worth approaching them all to see the different produce on offer, and find the price and collection day that suits you best. And if there is no network up and running in your area, it might be possible to set one up yourself. The site has a step-by-step guide on choosing local producers and bringing together enough local consumers to make the scheme worthwhile.

Improve your French

Caen University will be running intensive two-week French-language courses in June and July for non-native speakers who want to improve their confidence speaking the language. The course costs €485 and includes 60 hours of teaching. The deadline for applications is in May. A residential option is available for an extra €210. To find out more, see www.unicaen.fr/cefe

The Alliance Française has a school in Rouen offering courses at different levels. It is possible to start lessons any week in the year, except the beginners’ courses, which are scheduled to start on February 14 and March 28. There are also evening classes for people who work. See www.afrouen.org or call 02 35 98 55 99.

Haute-Normandie regional council has compiled a list of all the other language schools in the region offering lessons to non-native speakers. See www.tinyurl.com/crijhautenormandie

If paying for courses is out of the question, speak to French people on a daily basis (see below), watch French television or listen to French radio and little by little, you should find your French improves.

Make new friends

Settling in a new country can be a lonely experience and meeting people in rural Normandy can be difficult at times, especially if this is your second home.

One of the biggest groups in Normandy that can help is Accueil des Villes Françaises, which has a network of 20 local branches all over the region. The not-for-profit associations help people make new friends, offer practical help with settling in and organise a range of outings and social events.

Many of the branches have permanances – weekly drop-in sessions – where you can meet the organisers face-to-face, ask for advice and find out more about forthcoming meet-ups. There is usually a small fee for joining. We have published the full list of AVF networks in Normandy online under the “local info” section at www.normandyadvertiser.com

Check the community contacts panel on page 17 for details of other clubs and groups around Normandy. They cover a wide range of interests including creative writing, photo-graphy, birdwatching, singing and gardening.

There are also Franco-British associations, conversation groups and supper clubs. Your mairie will have details of all the associations registered with it. Other good places to check are your local library or supermarket noticeboards.

Start a business

There is a wide range of help available, a lot of it free, for anyone wanting to start a business in Normandy. Your local Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie (CCI) can provide advice and support.

They often organise free seminars for anyone considering taking their first steps in business, and regular courses designed to equip those setting up in business with the knowledge and skills they need. To find your nearest CCI, see www.drakkaronline.com

If you live in Basse-Normandie, check www.entreprendre-basse-normandie.fr for details of forthcoming regional business start-up events and the contact details of all the professional bodies in the region that can help with training and registration formalities. The Haute-Normandie equivalent can be found at www.hn-espace-entreprises.fr

Each department within Normandy also has its own economic development agenda based on local priorities and, from time to time, additional targeted support may become available at commune or departmental level. In the Orne, for example, there is www.orne-developpement.com, and in the Eure www.initiatives27.fr

Another possible port of call is Normandie Développement, which provides advice, contacts and data to help you draw up a solid business plan. It is particularly interested in foreign investment in the region and can provide help in English. See www.normandydev.com for details.

Save on energy bills

Electricity prices rose by three per cent at the start of this month, and gas bills have shot up by 15 per cent in the past year. It is more important than ever to find the most efficient ways of heating and providing energy for your home, and now is a good time to start planning for next winter before a key regional grant is phased out.

Basse-Normandie regional council is the first in France to offer a special grant of up to €2,000 to help you make your house more energy efficient, either through better insulation or installing a new system. The chèque éco-énergie has been in place since 2009 and more than 3,000 homes have benefited so far.

The scheme has been extended into 2011, but is due to be scrapped at the end of the year. To benefit from it, you must apply before April 1 and have completed the works by December 31.

The cheque is available to anybody who owns a property in Basse-Normandie – it does not matter whether it is your main residence or a second home.

The work must be carried out by a construction professional registered with the region. To apply, visit your local Espace Info Energie. There are five in Basse-Normandie: Caen, Coutances, Alençon, Hérouville-Saint-Clair and Montchauvet.

This is a network of environmental advisers put in place by energy-saving body Ademe, the region and the EU who give free guidance on how to choose the right equipment and renovate your home. They work independently of equipment or energy suppliers, so their advice is impartial. They also have offices in Haute-Normandie which can advice on other possible financial help. See www.infoenergie.org

It is also possible to take advantage of a tax credit for environmentally friendly home improvements. To get the tax credit (crédit d’impôt), you need to pay tax in France and have your main home here.
The credit system only applies once the work is completed.

The work needs to be declared in the tax return relating to the year that the last of the renovation bills was paid – for example, if you pay for the work in 2011, you would declare it in your 2011 tax declaration, which has to be submitted in May 2012. For more information on eco tax breaks, see our helpguide on the subject, priced €5, at www.connexionfrance.com

Plan for the future

Inheritance planning takes on extra complications if you have assets in both the UK and France, and there are some fundamental differences to how the law works here.

To answer your questions, The Advertiser is helping to organise another free seminar in English on inheritance planning, after the last event was fully booked.

The talk takes place in the Salle Salle des Fêtes in Juvigny-sous-Andaine (Orne) on Monday, February 7 from 14.15 to 17.30.

Experts from MoneyCorp, Siddalls and BML Assurances, which are supporting the event, will be on hand to explain the differences between French and British inheritance laws and the tax implications.

The seminar will also cover ensuring your wills are up-to-date, preparing for the eventual, and how the law applies to you if you have step-children, have remarried or are in a same-sex relationship.

Other confirmed speakers include Franco-British solicitor and avocat Gerard Barron and funeral consultant Fran Lewis. There will also be a collection to raise funds for Cancer Support France.
Juvigny-sous-Andaine is about 10 minutes from Domfront and Bagnoles de l’Orne.

The last event attracted almost 100 people, so booking is essential. Call Siddalls on 05 56 34 75 51, Moneycorp on 06 19 17 34 61 or send an email to info@normandyandbrittanylife.com

For more information, see www.tinyurl.com/inheritancetalk

Clear out clutter

Vide-grenier attic sale season enters into full swing in the spring, but there are still a few events planned before then if you are keen to clear out your unwanted items.

There are foires à tout in Saint-Lô, Bagnoles de l’Orne and Yvetot on January 9, Canteleu (Seine-Maritime) on January 16, Gaineville on January 22-24, Agon-Coutainville on January 30 and Saint-Pierre-de-Varengeville (Seine-Maritime) on February 5-6. There is also a three-day grande braderie in Caen from January 21-23.

To find your nearest sale and contact the organiser directly, search online at www.brocabrac.fr or www.vide-greniers.org

Alternatively, to avoid spending hours outside trying to sell your unwanted goods, list them for free with The Advertiser. Classified adverts are free online and in print if the item you are selling is priced at less than €250.

Get consumer help

The Manche branch of consumer group UFC Que Choisir has an English-speaker available at its Avranches surgery, offering advice on how to resolve disputes with companies.

The drop-in centre is in the Centre Multi-Services, 24 place du Marché, on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 10.00-11.30. Call the Saint-Lô office for more details, on 02 33 05 68 76.

The body has other drop-in centres (in French) in Bayeux, Caen, Vire, La Ferté Macé, Saint-Lô, Cherbourg, Evreux, Le Havre, Fécamp and Rouen. See www.quechoisir.org for all the times and contact details.

Cut cost of travel

If you travel regularly between Normandy and the UK by ferry, frequent traveller schemes could help you save on tickets.

Both LD Lines (Dieppe-Newhaven and Le Havre-Portsmouth) and Brittany Ferries (Caen and Cherbourg-Portsmouth) offer membership packages with discounts.

The LD Lines programme allows you to collect miles for each crossing you make, which can then be redeemed for free crossings for either yourself or friends and family. See www.frequent-traveller.co.uk

The Brittany Ferries frequent traveller scheme, called the Property Owners’ Travel Club, becomes interesting for passengers who do at least six trips per year. It offers savings of up to 30 per cent on crossings and a 10 per cent reduction on on-board meals. The annual membership fee is £60. See www.brittany-ferries.co.uk

Keep children busy

A SPECIAL scheme is in place for all young people in Normandy, aged 15-20, offering discount travel and entry to cinemas, museums and sports clubs. The Cart’@too costs €10 a year and comes with at least €100 of savings that aim to give teens more independence at a minimal cost.

Benefits include free museum entry, €5 discount vouchers for theatre, music and dance performances, e4 off cinema tickets, and one free ticket a year to see a Caen football match at the Stade Malherbe. The card also offers discount membership for hundreds of sports clubs and a reduced rate for the Boos’TER regional youth rail pass.

The @too scheme can also provide grants of up to €300 for big group outings (of at least eight young people) to cultural and educational places of interest within the region, and grants of €25-75 for textbooks and other school materials.

For more information, see http://cartatoo.region-basse-normandie.fr or call 02 31 06 95 99. The scheme is due to be extended to 21- to 25-year-olds this year.

Separately, Basse-Normandie offers grants of up to €500 for under-25s wanting to travel to another European country and discover more about its culture or history. The Bourse Jeune Europe helps cover travel costs, accommodation and activities.

Applications open in mid-March for this coming summer. Forms and guidelines will be made available online shortly at www.crij-bn.org

Look after yourself

Prevention is the best medicine, and, depending on your circumstances, you should be eligible for a number of free check-ups at various times in the year, covering everything from sight and hearing to
cancer screening.

Look out for publicity surrounding the Journées de la Vision in June, when opticians offer free eye tests, and a week of free hearing tests in March organised by top-up health insurer Audition Mutualiste.

Ask your GP about free screening for breast, bowel, cervical and prostate cancer. For more information about your entitlement, see www.tinyurl.com/cancerchecks

Women in the Orne who are aged 40-74 can benefit from free breast cancer check-ups without leaving their village. The Mammobile 61 tours the region regularly, offering a drop-in service for screenings. To find out when the vehicle will be in your area, call free on 0800 21 15 17.