Organised by the Fitiavana Association, a day of « Artists in the Street », on 5th June in Bize-Minervois. Find out more

Organised by the Calendreta Lo Cigal (Occitan Cultural School) Total Festum at la Garenne on 4th June. Find out more

Since 18th May, your internet site has changed!

In addition to cultural information from the 29 communes, from now on your newsletter will keep you up to date with the news from Greater Narbonne, its services, economic developments.....

Convivial, practical, sporting, www.legrandnarbonne.com lets you keep in touch with everything that's happening in Greater Narbonne and its 29 communes.

The whole of Greater Narbonne in a single click. Tell your friends!

A Boot-Sale Success for Fitiavana
For this first boot sale organised by the Fitiavana-Madagascar Association, a very cold wind was blowing across the Events Field, whipping up a very uncomfortable dust. Out of about 80 sellers that booked pitches, about 60 brave souls set up for the day and the result was conclusive. Throughout the day, large numbers of strolling buyers moved between the stalls and those run by Fitiviana and the other participants were very profitable. The President of the Association, Albert Delotte, expressed his satisfaction with the success of this event and is already looking forward to repeating it in September or early October with a Grape Harvest Boot Sale. Although the play "King Victor" scheduled for 6.30pm at the village hall was only attended by an audience of about 30, the actors of the "Next Door" company were received warmly and thanked with a long ovation. You will be able to find Fitiviana within our walls on Sunday 5th June for its "Artists in the Streets" day. All "artists" can take part by calling 04 68 49 05 14 to book a spot ( for a contribution of €5). All participants and visitors will be welcome. For information about the objectives of the association : http://fitiavana.blog4ever.com.

Boot Sale is a Great Sucess
Fine weather and lily-of-the-valley* joined the fun at the latest boot-sale organised by the Occitan school, "Lo Cigal" on the first of May. About sixty sellers from Bize and farther afield assembled on the Events Field, laying out their diverse wares on trestle tables or even on the ground. A steady stream of visitors combed the rows to find that rarity or just something useful at an unbeatable price. For there was something to suit all tastes and all wallets. This traditional boot-sale, formerly organised by the village Events Committee, has been adopted this year by the Occitan school. Twenty or so volunteers, all dedicated to the successful work of the "calendreta", all answered "present" at the roll call for this new demonstration of commitment. For the continued existence of this school, which provides a special teaching method and undoubted well-being to the children, parents are ready to give up a big share of their time and energy. All this effort is aimed at achieving a single grand design: new eco-friendly school buildings, with more space and better suited to the aspirations of the members of the Association. The Calendreta Lo Cigal is taking in more and more "pitchons" (==Occitan "little ones") and the old station at Bize, which currently houses the school, is becoming a bit too tight, in spite of the addition of a new building for the start of the 2010-11 academic year. If you are interested in making this happen, find out more on the school calandreta.

The Occitan school is also mustering its forces for its sixth Total Festum, which offers a combination of free celebrations and entertainments, concerts and dances to promote the discovery of Catalan and Occitan culture. For this purpose, an inter-school gathering will take place at Lo Cigal on Tuesday 7th June. To bring all these plans to a successful outcome, the Lo Cigal Association is calling on the generosity of all those who, sympathetic to Occitan culture, are willing to give of their time or their skills. Don't hesitate to make contact.

Bize-Minervois Football Club AGM and the 3rd Romain Vacher Trophy
The Bize-Minervois football club AGM will take place on Friday 27th May at the Romain Vacher Club House at 8.00pm. It will be followed by a buffet. At this meeting the whole committee will be standing down, which is why all interested parties, whether players or administrators, are invited to attend the meeting.
" The 2010-11 season is over and we will be looking back in regret at many points dropped because of lack of commitment, of competitiveness or even respect for certain players. Unfortunately, this lack of commitment in the second half of the season will certainly cost us relegation to the 2nd division. Our position will be definitively decided at the general meeting of the Aude District, which will be taking place on Wednesday 1st June and which I will attend as President. For me, going down to the 2nd Division is not justified and we do not deserve it, when most of the teams we played against showed no evidence of playing the game better than we did. The last few matches, when we were fielding teams of only 9 or 10 proved our fighting spirit and the objective of the next season will be to win promotion back to the 1st Division " asserts Laurence Pastre.
On the day after the AGM, the third Romain Vacher Trophy game will take place. This gala match between the Bize Fire Brigade and the Bize-Minervois FC team is dedicated to the memory of this player, friend and volunteer fireman, who died in an accident two and a half years ago. For him, who loved life so much, it is a good way of paying him homage. At the end of this match, an aperitif and a meal will be served at the football ground. An entry form and details are obtainable at the Bandinellis Butchers until Friday 27th May, with seats limited to 100 diners. The meal, costing €10, will comprise: salads, barbecued magrets of duck, crisps, cheese, fruit salad, with wine and coffee included. The President thanks everyone who take the trouble to attend the AGM and the meal, because that will prove that, in the land of rugby, soccer can also have its place.

The BIM, Bulletin d'Informations Municipal , et Le Petit Bizois, the local information monthly, are both on line.

On Saturday 2nd April, an audience of more than 160 attended the show « Peoples Stand Up », promoted by the municipality of Bize for the benefit of the Communal Social Work Centre. Under the musical direction of Martine Vidal and to the accompaniment of a group of musicians, the Chiffon Rouge gave voice to those remarkable tunes, songs of protest and denunciation, that have served to make the voice of the people heard at times of great revolt. The production by Antoine Chapelot, with the support of two lighting technicians, contributed to the creation of a moving or dramatic ambience according to the song being interpreted by the choir. A few selected texts, like that of pastor Martin Niemoller "When they came...." or "The Voice" by Robert Desnos, reinforced the memory of a past that never ceases to reveal itself in the present and emphasised the futility of hopes that such things should happen "never again". The disturbing text of Aragon, "The Red Banner" brought back Manouchian and his last letter, and all those who fought with courage for liberty. The force and the beauty of these texts and the incomparable energy of these songs brought, in a single evening, balm to the hearts of those for whom it was sorely lacking. For what the choir wanted to convey in "Peoples Stand Up" is the notion of Hope undiminished by the hurly-burly of life; it is all these voices united into one voice that raises itself high and awakens our consciences by saying: let us stay vigilant, let us not be lulled into a false sense of security! This show was supported by the town of Narbonne and by the Region.

134 people took part in the spring meal organised by the seniors' club, Le Recantou, (= The Little Corner, reflecting the location of its premises), on Saturday 9th April. It was prepared and served by Mr Bonaric, who owns a delicatessen at Cébazan, and we were entertained to the music of Alain Colombies band. The latter encouraged everyone to take the floor for dancing between each course. Everyone present was delighted to take part in this excellent meal in a wonderfully warm atmosphere. On Tuesday 19th April, 55 members will set off for the traditional day-trip to St Jean du Gard and Anduze. Finally, on Sunday 1st May, the last tea dance of the season will take place at the village hall from 3.00pm. The band, Trio Alliance has been chosen to provide the music.

A Warm Atmoshpere at the Spring Meal	Claude Franc, Président of the Recantou	Photo Credit : Chantal Le Dantec

Last Tuesday André Viola, new Chairman of the Aude General Council, met Alain Fabre and the local councillors of Bize-Minervois. Accompanied by Pierre Gabas and Christophe Gonzalès, his operational section heads and by Jacques Chabaud, Director of the Combined Syndicate of Aquatic Environments and Rivers (SMMAR), he came to take stock of the damage caused by the recent flooding of the Cesse, but also to check how well the Emergency Response Plan put in place after the 1999 flood had coped with the situation and minimised its adverse consequences.
These gentlemen spoke at length with the Mayor and the local councillors, each understanding the need to press on with the flood prevention works undertaken by the Intercommunal Water Management Group (SIAH) of the Minervois since 2002. (25 - 30km of waterways are dealt with every year).

At the time of the latest flood, the Councillors and officials in Bize had well anticipated the need for execution of their Emergency Response Plan: the impact on people and property was therefore less than in 1999. Last March, there were far fewer examples of the river overflowing its banks because of accumulations of debris, in spite of a record flood rate of 560m3 per second (360m3/s in 1999). This fact was also observed by the highways managers, the Department Fire & Rescue Brigade and the majority of the elected representatives. André Viola confirmed that the General Council will participate in the works undertaken by the management groups in the river basins alongside their other partners (State, Regional Council...) It should not be forgotten that this voluntary preventative policy is entirely founded on the notion of solidarity between the communes of the Aude and of the neighbouring departments.

Le Petit Bizois, monthly local information bulletin is on line.

Late on Monday afternoon, in the Council Chamber, in the presence of the members of the Commune's Centre for Social Work, M. Cribaillet handed to Lydie Faure, First Deputy Mayor, the first bun of the 2011 campaign. As in previous years, the CCSA will be offering buns for sale for the benefit of the Aude Families Association for the Help of the Mentally Infirm. This association works to provide those in difficulties with appropriate personal support.

Please take part in this typically audois campagne in great numbers.

YOGA CLASSES at Bize-Minervois... from Tuesday 5th April

BIZ'ZEN, an association for the promotion and development of yoga teaching. Lessons guaranteed by Marfie Morales, teacher at the French Yoga Institute.
Classes will take place weekly at the Town Hall, TUESDAYS FROM 6.30PM TO 7.45PM.
Yoga is a gentle pursuit, without competitiveness, that leads progressively to the preservation or improvement of our awareness of our body, suppleness, balance and our ability to focus our attention and concentrate.... Progressive practice, the right effort linked to relaxation, allow us to discover, to explore, to develop a more conscious and calm relationship between the body and the mind.
Whatever your age or your physical condition, it is possible to begin practising yoga, in individual or group classes.
Tariffs :
Association membership: 5€ annually. Card for 4 sessions : 28€. Quarterly rate : 70€ for 1 session per week. First class free.
Individual tuition available at 30€ per hour.
For more Information : telephone 04 68 33 80 92 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

On Sunday 27th March in the Village Hall, Chiffon Rouge, with its choir well up to strength at 50 members, got ready for the staging of its new show, « People Stand Up ».

Anne-Marie Charvet, Prefect of the Aude, and Marie-Paule Bardeche, Sub-Prefect for the Narbonne District, passed through Bize on Thursday 17th March to assess the damage caused by the flooding of the Cesse the night before. They were welcomed by the Mayor, the Deputy-Mayors and the Councillors, the fire brigade and members of the task-force set up to tackle the floods.
"The main concern of a State Prefect is to focus with absolute priority on the safety of people and property" said Madame Charvet. "When it is clear that a waterway regularly overflows, prudence dictates that one undertakes no further construction in those zones."
The Mayor, Alain Fabre, demonstrated, with the aid of plans, why and how the River Cesse bursts its banks and he presented the safety monitoring action plan applied to the village from the moment of the first alert, in close contact with the flood prediction service, Mediterranean West. "In the initial stages we move out the elderly and those with restricted mobility. And in the second stage , when the flood is unavoidable, town council employees help to carry people's valuable possessions to upper floors and a state of vigilance is declared. After this, as soon as possible, we draw up a list of the disaster victims and a watchlist of people affected, all this calmly and with method. The residents here are used to these situations and take them in their stride."

"André SYLVESTRE, President of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of the Aude wishes to advise tradesmen that have encountered difficulties following the adverse weather conditions over the last few days that they can make contact with our organisation. We will then be able to help them with whatever they need to do. Contact: 04 68 11 20 00."

"Out of the blue... A flood level higher than that of 1999. At Bize-Minervois, the night of Tuesday 15th to Wednesday 16th March was terrible. No one lost their life but 47 homes and 4 business premises were swamped with mud. Not even the dental surgery escaped the rising waters. Below the village, on the Promende, on the bank of the Cesse, muck and faces marked by shared suffering. In the morning, at around 4.00am, yesterday, the river was roused from its slumbers and burst its banks.

For the owner of the cafe, Michel Gleizes, it was a catastrophe. His doors, poorly protected, gave way under the force of the water. In the other houses, with well sealed doors, the mud came in through the drains. "On average we had a meter of water in people's homes" noted Mayor Alain Fabre.

Photo : J.M. Guitter	Photo : K. Gomez	Photo : K. Gomez

The BIM, Bulletin d'Informations Municipal n°91, february 2011 , et Le Petit Bizois, the local information monthly, are both on line.

From 4th to 7th March, 4 days of festivities in the village : Bize's famous carnival. Have a look at photos of previous Bize carnivals !

On 19th February 2011 the Bize-Minervois Town Hall website is celebrating its 3rd birthday... watch this space !

Le Petit Bizois. Local information monthly, is on line.

The Open Day on 22nd January at the calandreta (=Occitan cultural school) "Lo Cigal" motivated a lot of parents who want to enrol their children as part of the next term's intake. But the school is tightly crammed into the old station and is at present looking for new premises that would allow it to respond to this new demand for places. For although there were 17 pupils when the school opened its doors in 2007, at the start of the 2010 school year their number has almost trebled to 47 pupils. The Occitan school, which welcomes children from 2years to CM2 (=Cours Moyen 2, the last year at primary school before moving on to secondary), has had to install a double portakabin to house the eldest as the old building was not big enough to accommodate all the pupils. There are of course children from Bize at the caledreta but most of the children come from neighbouring villages. The school takes in mostly children at the lower end of the age range so that their on-going assessment and monitoring takes place in the best conditions. "Lo Cigal" is a bilingual French/Occitan school, described as "immersive", in which all teaching from nursery level to the end of primary education is carried out in Occitan. It uses a teaching method inspired by that of Freinet whose objectives are to give the child a voice, to make it self-sufficient and to teach it organisation in the context of group living. From the nursery class, the children are totally immersed in the Occitan language and it is only after they have mastered reading that they are taught French up to the CM2 class. The school's three-year plan is to become an "eco-school"; the governors and teaching staff at the school want to put an emphasis on the ecology and of course to use eco-friendly methods, which is all about joined-up thinking and leading by example.

For although a ministerial circular dating from 8th July 2004 made it compulsory to provide environmental education leading to sustainable development, it is difficult to know how many schools actually put it into practice. In this context, the calendreta would really like to buy a building plot on which to construct a school in eco-designed buildings, making it possible to achieve real energy savings. Apart from that, this would also bring significant comfort to its working conditions in terms of temperature, lighting and air quality. This would be the best way of following the school plan and organic meals would follow.

The BIM, Bulletin d'Informations Municipal n°90, December 2010 & January 2011, is on line.

Carnival
The Festival Committee organised a briefing meeting last Thursday at the Town Hall. The new organising committee comprises the following members: Patrick Martinez, Chairman, Benoit Baudié, Co-Chairman, Claude Marty and Laetitia Cassan, Secretaries, Kevin Resplandy and Lydie Faure, Treasurers.

Plans for the 2011 Carnival
About 15 people, both private individuals and associations, that had responded to the Festival Committee's open invitation, approved the choice of music and banda* groups recruited for the three days of festivities. As far as floats and participating groups are concerned, some associations have already begun the construction work while others are thinking about it, either in families or groups of friends. As things turn out, we expect that this year, as in most years, a good dozen floats will take part in the procession through the streets of the village. Mister Carnival will be back and his judgment will be announced by the children of the Calendreta while the procession takes place. Anyone who would like to join a group or build a float can get relevant information at the Town Hall. A further meeting will take place on Thursday 10th February at 6.30pm at the Town Hall and all willing volunteers are very welcome to attend.

*"Banda" is a popular form of music that blends Mexican brass with German polka!

Lou Recantou, with its 318 members, is rated No.1 among the Rural Seniors Clubs of the Aude. Of course, it brings together numerous inhabitants of Bize but it also successfully attracts people from other neighbouring villages with its numerous activities, services and outings. This success is down to the hard work of a united and dynamic management team, which, under the leadership of its Chairman, Claude Franc, injects an exceptionally lively energy into the Commune. For the Club has many aspects and numerous projects in hand, allowing each individual to take part in whatever suits him or her best.

Numerous Projects
First the service that it provides: with the "Presence Verte" personal safety alarm, all you need to do is contact Nadia Resplandy, who deals with allocations; for the collection of unused spectacles arranged by Mme Arnaud - all you need to do is drop them in to her or leave them at the Club premises. Its humanitarian work with collections, for the "Restos du Coeur" (a charity initiated by the French comedian Coluche to help the homeless during the winter, like London's Crisis at Christmas), for cancer research and their active participation in the Telethon. Its weekly activities : artistic painting, painting on silk and ceramics, work projects, information technology and walking.

Introduction to Information Technology
In IT, for example, from the 10th February to 20th April, an introductory course is planned (five sessions of two hours each) for those who have no knowledge whatsoever of how the internet works ; then an intermediate course over three sessions and finally workshops (six sessions of two hours) to hone ones new skills.

The artistic painting group has extended its activities to include a picture-framing workshop where everyone can come to learn how it is done.
And let's not overlook the fact that the walking group is growing. The afternoon tea provided at the end of the walk is a strong incentive. On average, 26 walkers get together on Tuesdays for a route of 7 to 8 kilometers, with a very warm welcome for all-comers.
And other attractions.
The famous tea dances are experiencing growing success, with 125 participants on average, thanks to the tireless efforts of Emile, who "recruits" at all the region's dances.
Tea-time shows, meals and theatre or exhibition outings are equally well attended and trips, be they for a day or a week, always well organised, bring a not insignificant added attraction to the life of the Seniors' Club.

Planned for June 2011 is a week on the Opal Coast at Berk-Plage (where the Ch'tis* come from) with two cross-border raids, one day in London and another in Bruges. A day at the Japanese bamboo garden at St Jean du Gard and yet another little trip out in the autumn.

Claude Franc then thanked all the kind volunteers and well-wishers who are involved in the Club and the furtherance of its interests. The finances are in good shape, and this year again, the subs will not go up. He reminded the audience of the Club's motto: Solidarity and Conviviality. "To bring a club like ours to life, you need to keep being creative and never cease energising and innovating our movement. That is not possible without a weekly investment of time by our volunteers who build up social connections between people and battle to prevent anyone from being left in isolation".

He added that, from now on, bingo will be at 3pm, that the printed collection of the "Bize Monographs" had been reissued and that the items dealing with "The Bridges of Bize" and the Caves were available at the Town Hall. He advised late payers that the Club subs were due on or before 1st January and that it was imperative to obtain ones membership card before that date.
Finally, he thanked the town council for increasing its subsidy to the Club so as to facilitate the purchase of a digital projector and he finished with these words: "Let us never forget that to grow old is a gift. To one and all I say thank you".
At this point the Mayor, Alain Fabre, took the floor and congratulated the management team and all the willing contributors to the dynamism of this trail-blazing club in the Commune and for their excellent work.

Then all those present were invited to partake of "galettes des rois" (puff pastry filled with almond paste), hot drinks and muscat wine before taking their leave. But not for long because a tea-time show will take place on 29th January and the first tea dance of the year on 6th February. Here we go again!

Le Petit Bizois, monthly local information bulletin is on line.

ON 22ND JANUARY, THE CALANDRETA SCHOOL "LO CIGAL" AT BIZE-MINERVOIS WILL HOLD AN OPEN DAY
The Federation of Languedoc Calandretas has decided to organise an open day on 22nd January in all the Calandreta establishments in the region (currently comprising 1565 pupils, 21 schools and 1 college in the Languedoc, 2893 pupils, 52 schools and 2 colleges in the whole of Occitanie).
The Calendreta Lo Cigal will will welcome visitors from 9.00am to 1.00pm at the school, located in the old station at Bize-Minervois ( 47 rue de la Gare, 11120 Bize Minervois). This day will be an opportunity to introduce visitors to the school and to the Calandreta project and to meet families interested in enrolling their child at the Calendreta. Everyone will get together over a friendly drink at about 12 noon. For additional information, you can contact us on 04 68 48 46 65.

Alain Fabre started by listing what the municipality had achieved, naming the different administrative services and the works that had been carried out in the Commune in 2010 : the creation of a car park and traffic control in the approaches to the school, demolition of an outbuilding to allow safe access to the school, creation of more parking spaces in the village, maintenance and reinforcement works to the banks of the Cesse and the rehabilitation of various water courses and maintenance of streams (the latter two carried out by the SIAH of the Minervois [Intercommunal Syndicate of the Minervois for Water Management]).

Then he turned his attention to the village's membership of the community of the agglomeration of Greater Narbonne. "This choice, that has just overturned more than fifty years of established intercommunal practices, was not made easily" he said.

"The debates were lively, long, serious and underpinned by all the necessary legal and financial studies. Our municipal team made up of women and men expressing a variety of opinions, political, cultural and professional, voted unanimously for the dissolution of the Community of Communes and the creation of a SIVU (Syndicat Intercommunal à Vocation Unique) managing social work by means of an intercommunal social work centre. The latter will implement policies in support of the elderly and children/young people, like home help, a canteen, child-minding before and after school, and a leisure centre. We chose to give to the residents of Bize, from 2011 onwards, access to the best services, be they cultural or in the area of public transport but this choice will also enable us to initiate development both of agriculture and tourism, bringing economic development with them. For instance, by bringing the Narbonne/Bize railway line back into service", he continued. "Our task is well defined, and we will carry it out with due respect for the general interests of our commune and its inhabitants"

Then he explained the municipality's plans for 2011 : installation of mains utilities at the Fourniès development zone, improvement of the ground near the old station with a grant request for the creation of a Medical Centre; creating roadways to improve traffic flow between le Pontil and Fontfresque; repairs to the water and sewerage networks and to the roadway in the Fontfresque residential development zone, continuation of the works creating a safe access in the rue des Ecoles, extension of the street lighting as far as the cemetery and to the Aigues-Vives road and wifi coverage that should give all inhabitants a first class internet connexion.

On this subject, the Mayor cited the popularity of the Commune's internet site with surfers, many of whom were foreigners, for whom the site had been translated by volunteers into several languages.

The Mayor did not neglect to thank all the clubs and associations for the activities and attractions that they organise in the village.

And, in closing: "That 2011, a pivotal year, should bring good fortune to our commune and its inhabitants, not forgetting the essential wishes for health, happiness and prosperity for you and yours". He closed with: « Ein frohes neues jahr - Happy new year - Bouno annado pla granado - Bonne année ! »