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HELP US TO REBUILD THE PARK!
Ravaged by tornado
On June 17 at 1:30 a.m. a tornado hit the small town of Huismes in Touraine. Nearly 600 trees were destroyed in this territory in the space of one night.
The park of La Villaumaire has been heavily impacted. Oaks nearly 600 years old, an avenue of chestnut trees planted 592 years ago, in 1429 when Joan of Arc came to Chinon, 400-year-old beeches, an avenue of cedars planted under Napoleon III. in all, about a hundred trees were decimated. Without even counting the damage to the buildings, the only damage suffered by the park exceeds 100,000 €.
The work of rescuing the castle is not finished, a second front opens .. We will therefore fight on two fronts, but we will not give up!
In the press...
Huismes: two weeks after the storm, the parks of private castles still damaged
Two weeks after the storm hit Huismes, the stigmata are still visible in the parks of some castles. Like here at La Villaumaire, where whole trees litter the ground ....
The next day, volunteers came to clear the accesses to the castle
After a night of hell spent hoping that the roofs did not fly off, the discovery, in the early morning, of the damage was heartbreaking. Much was the irreparable damage! A 600-year-old oak, a 500-year-old chestnut, a 400-year-old beech or a 200-year-old cedar has no owner ... The life of a man, and even of several generations, would not be enough. ... They are the heritage of humanity. When such guardian giants die, struck down by a tornado, nothing replaces them for centuries ... The oak or chestnut plants that we will put in their places will not have the same majesty until 2621! Like those who planted these trees in the XVth century, we are planting for those who, in the XXVIIth century, will come and take shelter under their shade. It is a legacy for future generations!
Plane trees torn from the Château de Gizeux,
Devastated park at La Villaumaire
Same scenes of desolation in Huismes. Denis Moutardier, the mayor of the commune of Véron, estimates between 500 and 600 the number of trees uprooted by a nightmare which did not last more than twenty minutes ...
Heavenly wrath at Huismes
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, a strong gust of wind turned into a tornado in a corridor 2.3 km wide around 1:30, it lasted about 1 hour.…
All entrances to the park were closed; telephone lines cut. Volunteers came to our rescue. Thanks to their help we managed to clear the paths. We cannot thank them enough for such generosity. The unobstructed access allowed the telephone services to temporarily restore the lines. Life has resumed its rights. But now the hardest part remains to be done: bring the park back to life.
Our insurance does not cover the park apart from civil liability. Conclusion = not a cent will be paid by the insurance companies for the damage to the park and, as if that were not enough, our finances are bloodless absorbed by the rescue of the castle.
And that's where we need you! -
WHAT IS AND WHAT COSTS THIS NEW FIGHT?
It will never be possible to restore what has been lost. But, at least we need to heal the wounds of the park. For this, we need:
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clear the park from the inextricable heap of trunks and branches that clutters it, which implies the acquisition of a professional chainsaw (ours being toys facing the titanic trunks that litter the ground), as well as small equipment Annex; i.e. a cost of 2,500 €
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skidding sawn timber, removing stumps, filling in the sometimes huge craters left by uprooted trees, which means renting construction equipment (excavator, etc.), for a cost of € 3,750 .
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Replant the hundred trees felled, which implies the purchase of a hundred plants (average cost of the 60 cm plant = 25 €), i.e. a cost of 2.50 € .
All this represents a budget of 10,000 €
Our donors will be able to follow, online, on Facebook , Instagram and Youtube , videos of the progress of the work as it is carried out.
HOW TO HELP US?
You can give us the means to emerge victorious from this new fight or fight alongside us, there are several ways to support us for this:
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You can, of course, donate whether it's one-time or monthly.
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You can also devote time to this project by becoming one of the volunteers of the association: "Les Amis de La Villaumaire".
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You can, finally, make this project known around you, if only by sharing it on your social networks.
Everyone can participate !
Contributing is very easy ...
TO FIND OUT MORE, CLICK ON THE "PARTICIPATE" BUTTON
WHO ARE WE ?
Coming from a family of “rescuers of monuments in danger”: Vanina, Ugo and Lorenzo (aged 24 to 29) - at the cradle of the restoration of national heritage - provide all their care at the Château de La Villaumaire, in Touraine.
The team of "rescuers": Vanina, Lorenzo and Ugo Vitali.
The Vitali family acquired the Château de La Villaumaire in January 1997 with the firm intention of saving it. For 25 years, she has pursued a patient and meticulous restoration there, devoting most of her time and resources to it. The objective is first of all to save the building on a lasting basis from ruin with, in the long term, the possibility of opening it to the public. Obviously, this monument is managed in a selfless way, that is to say that all its income is reinvested in its restoration. Moreover, no subsidy of any kind has ever been received. Likewise, each member of the family is perfectly aware of being only one of the custodians of a good, which beyond itself, belongs to History . And everyone knows that saving a monument is a real priesthood, the fruit of which usually does not come until 2 or 3 generations later and that, therefore, most of those who work there today will never see the final result.
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THE ENTIRE CHÂTEAU DE LA VILLAUMAIRE TEAM WELCOME THANKS FOR YOUR PRECIOUS SUPPORT.