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Area: Aquitaine

Please note, we have room for one additional person (Male or Female) for the period Apr - Aug 2013. We already have three long term helpers here and don't have the rooms for anymore. However, if you re happy to sleep in a tent (or in the top of the barn) then shout. Thanks for reading our profile. In September 2010 we bought a derelict farm in the heart of the Perigord Vert (North Dordogne) in France. The house was not habitable, the barns were run down with leaky roofs, the land we bought with the farm was either run down meadow, a mix of derelict copse as well as even more derelict mature woodland and the arable land was being rented out to a neighbouring farmer and we had no equipment with which to work the land other than a few garden tools. When we moved on site on in November 2010 it was into a 10m x 3m static caravan. That's us, four kids, 3 dogs, and 3 cats. So what has changed in the last year? Well, because of work commitments not a lot has changed. Some work has been completed on the house and two of the boys are currently camped out in the kitchen. We have an extra dog and an itinerant stray cat who puts in an occasional appearance but not much else has moved forward since we arrived. However, I now have a break and I am going to get going with some of the projects that I have been waiting to complete. Our intension here is to attempt to live a low impact lifestyle while combining this with a policy of managing the land we have in an ecologically and environmentally friendly manner. While I am not so naive as to imagine that all projects will be a resounding success, I do hope to succeed at most. So, who are we? Well, my name is Andy and I'm married to Meredith and together we have four wonderful children James, Thomas (Tom), Kathryn (Katie) and William (Billy). What is our background? Well. I was (and still am to some extent) an Information Technology consultant having worked in IT for 25 years, primarily within Investment Banking and Finance in the city. In the past I have qualified as a cat 8 skydiver and as PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (Instructer). Meredith is a registered nurse, accomplished clarinet player, mother of our four children as well as a professional agricultuer and general keeper of livestock (kids and stock alike). My background is that of a townie, all be it I grew up within walking distance of the south coast and had ample countryside in which to explore and grow up. Meredith is from good welsh farming stock and as such has always had that much more of a head start over me when it comes to farming and agriculture in general. As a family we have lived all over the country and more recently in France. We lived for 7 years in rural Dorset, 3 years of which were in a cottage on a small pig farm, 4 years in Shetland (that wild, windy and truly beautiful set of islands out in the north sea) where we had our first holding, and the last 2 years in France where we now have a 19.2 hectare (47.4 acre) small holding. In Shetland we spent the best part of 2 years without having to buy a single piece of meat from any supermarket or butcher. In the past we have grown much of our own personal food and we want to resestablish the farm as a small holding producing all of our own meat and growing as many of our own vegetables as possible.

Area: Aquitaine

Hello you, I'm Thomas, two children living here for 20 years and growing sheep on a 80 hectare forest and field place. Since always, my house has been open, and work away is for me, a way to carry on sharing nice work, with nice people in a nice place. It's a well kept old traditionnal farm, at 4 kms from the little village, lost in the forest, very calm, lot of foot path with rivers next to here. On a side of this land, a non commercial activity has taken place, witch is made first to awake school children about their environnemnt, we also have there a permaculture veg garden, self construction events, and some activities around the biodiversity along the little wild rivers of the area.

Area: Gironde. ( Dordogne boarder)

Our 37 hectare farm & Vineyard is located on the boarder of three departments (Dordogne, Gironde & Lot et Garonne) We have 11 hectares of vines, Merlot, Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Semillon & Muscadelle which are all in the Bordeaux AOC and we are also in the process of restoring an old Farmhouse and Barn. We are currently in the conversion process to run as an Organic farm. We are David & Amanda (early 40s), Florence 7 & Martha 8. We arrived here in February 2010 and its fair to say that there has never been a dull moment since! The rest of the residents consist of two horses, nine hens, six cats and Sam the dog. Accommodation is in a five birth caravan with awning or you can bring your own tent. We can offer workers a variety of experiences here ranging from all aspects of vineyard work, land management, restoration projects, building work, painting, organic and Biodynamic veg production, gardening, poly tunnel growing, managing the horses and even the odd spot of child minding. There is always a project on the go! We welcome singles, couples and groups (maximum of three people at a time) who are non smokers and who want to get stuck into some hard work. In return we will make sure you enjoy yourself, share good food & wine and experience this wonderful place. Check out our workaway feedback.