In Saône-et-Loire, a castle welcomes seniors to a holiday camp
For over half a century, the Frédéric Ozanam association has been organizing a stay at the Château de Monceau every summer. The former property of the poet Alphonse de Lamartine welcomes retirees to combat their isolation.
CLAC! The wooden cylinder hits its target and knocks over the pin. 12 points! I’m this close to winning, right? Marie-Thérèse smiles, astonished. Sitting in the shade of the chestnut trees, the octogenarian has no trouble learning the rules of mölkky, a Finnish throwing game. Others have preferred to play pétanque or discover Dutch billiards, the stick in one hand, a glass of syrup in the other. An ordinary afternoon in the park of the Château de Monceau, in Prissé (Saône-et-Loire).
From the beginning of July to the end of August, the estate hosts a very special holiday camp: here, no children, but retirees aged 60 to 99. Created over fifty years ago, this stay is organised by the Frédéric Ozanam association to combat the isolation of the elderly. “Most of them come from the surrounding big cities and are looking for company and a bit of fresh air”, sums up its president, Éric Jeantet.
Former home of the poet Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869), the property was first bequeathed to nuns and then joined the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) in the mid-1950s. The team saw it as the perfect place to offer a little respite to the seniors that its volunteers visited every day. The SSVP then created the Frédéric Ozanam association and imagined vacations conditioned by income and social situation criteria. While the stay is open to everyone, the price, 420 euros per week, remains affordable. And everything has been thought of to combat loneliness.
Friendly atmosphere
“I save up all year to come for two months!” explains Élisabeth, 69. While 1.5 million elderly people suffer the consequences of isolation, this initiative responds to an “immense need,” according to Éric Jeantet. “Especially during the summer, when even those who are surrounded by others find themselves alone, when children and grandchildren leave and they can no longer keep up,” he adds.
Many holidaymakers also come, and above all, for pleasure. “The setting is splendid,” remarks one of them, in one of the spacious lounges dotted with choice furniture. The park itself is surrounded by vines and overlooks the Solutré rock. “However, you shouldn’t come here looking for the life of a castle: in our forty or so rooms, the comfort is basic, with a bed, a toilet, a washroom, in a state that is what it is!” warns Monique, the volunteer in charge of the week. The team ensures, in advance, that the boarders are independent and alert, because the place is full of steep stairs, and is not accessible to people with reduced mobility. “But the rest makes up for it!” she assures.
The rest is this friendly atmosphere, which we owe in particular to the young team of volunteers in charge of the entertainment. This week, there are three of them, aged between 15 and 20. They heard about the castle at their high school chaplaincy or during their Universal National Service. Among them, Lucille, a local child: “I had already distributed to the Restos du Coeur, but I like this experience with the elderly: they are sometimes demanding, but always enthusiastic, and they have lots of stories to tell!” she says, amused, as she wipes the lunch dishes. Here, the volunteers are multi-skilled: they provide service from morning to night, but also imagine the day’s programme, from gymnastics to karaoke evenings.
A happy interlude
“If someone had told me that one day, I would go back to a camp!” smiles Geneviève, a 62-year-old from Lyon, who has suffered from daily loneliness since the death of her husband and is looking for a little “joie de vivre”. Jacques, 90, is not keen on shared activities but, this summer, this former adventurer preferred to flee the city to recharge his batteries in the countryside. “I lived in a home for a long time but, after Covid, my children preferred that I take an apartment on my own,” says Renée, 85. “This conviviality, even if fleeting, is essential.” For the moment limited to the summer, this interlude could soon expand: the association plans to offer a stay from spring to autumn. Although it requires major work, this ambition could ultimately make it possible to solidify the economic model, but above all to improve a “vital” reception for many elderly people.
Recipes for success
- A preserved place. A castle needs to be maintained! All year round, the association employs a caretaker responsible for carrying out small jobs and maintaining the large garden.
- Loyal holidaymakers. Today, many of the residents are regulars, some having not missed a summer for over twenty-five years. They are often the ones who fuel demand by convincing their friends or neighbours.
- Dedicated volunteers. Frédéric Ozanam being a so-called “specialized” association of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, its volunteers prepare their mission all year round: taking turns, every week of the summer, to supervise the stay.
