Main fundraiser photo

Seeds Of Wild Love

Hello friends and family! We are Anaiya, Pete, and Dinah (and also Patrick in spirit) and are the new owners of Les Contes, (meaning tales/legends) a very magical place in the French Pyrennes. Once a Colonie de Vacances for children, Les Contes, is being transformed into an idyllic healing sanctuary, educational centre, cafe, boutique and full-bodied wisdom hub for both people and animals. 

Our main values are permaculture, beauty, nourishment, wisdom and healing. We seek to be proactive in the changes that need to be made at this time on our planet. Our current pandemic/world crisis has profoundly highlighted our mistakes, vulnerability and utter dependancy on the health of our planet.  

Perhaps, the seeds of change and the will to implement them can still be discovered in time? With this great task before us we need healthy bodies, courageous hearts and above all - a supportive and loving community based upon trust, friendship and goodwill to all life. This is the great vision of Les Contes. 

We begin with Seeds of Wild Love - the name of our permaculture project which aims is to encourage self-reliant living, based on a set of principles that extends far beyond the garden. Our vision is to create an abundant way of life that turns away from dependence on the state to a thriving symbiosis with nature as we transform our river and mountainside into a food forest and permaculture haven. Home to many animals, both rescue and wild, our ethos is to leave behind our little bit of earth more abundant than when we found it.  

We envision our immediate, regional and international community benefiting from such a project. We will encourage our Bed and Breakfast guests to get to know our permaculture gardens, to wander the food forests and to get involved with picking, planting and eating.  The majority of our guests come from the city or just outside and from all over the world.  So many people 'want' to do this - they just don't where to begin.  That is where Seeds of Wild Love steps in - we plant the seeds, they go home, and in a matter of time - they have taken that first brave step to live in a similar way!

Our number one priority is to create gardens that express the creativity of nature with fresh chemical-free food, biodiversity & an eclectic array of flowers, healing herbs and home-produced essential oils. A place of abundance, filled with plants, fruit trees, flowers, insects, mushrooms and wildlife.  

Our products will be taken to the local markets, or for our community to pick up themselves as they pass. 

We also plan to make 'how-to' videos and to create a Seeds of Wild Love Permaculture Video channel on YouTube and various other social media platforms. If the people cannot get to us - we will get to the people. 

Seeds of Wild Love includes animals.  We currently have goats, pigs, chickens and sheep as the gardening team. We also plan to have donkeys onsite for walking holidays in the local Pyrennes, as well as an educational facility for people to interact with the animals, and to bridge the gap between human and nature.  We also facilitate retreats and workshops at the house, based on opening up, healing, becoming whole and stepping into natural living, permaculture, nutrition and the latest developments in systems and projects that place the regeneration of the environment, and our place in it, first and foremost. 

The main building at Les Contes will be used for Bed and Breakfast and Retreats.  There is a chapel, spring and group space that could easily hold over 100 people. We plan to host all kinds of 'new' visions and ways to live, ranging from nutrition to greening the earth, from animal tracking to survival skills, from trauma healing to somatic wisdom. 


In other words - this is a new Eden, where we start again, learning from the past as we humbly apply our skills to do better. 




What The Funds Are For 
We are raising money for supporting us in our first year as we renovate, build and continue to observe  the environment as we begin to implement our permaculture design. Already a large amount of money, time, saved resources and energy have gone into the creation of this project. The money we raise here will help us implement a filter-bed sanitation system, lay the ground for the foundational steps of the permaculture design, provide the funds for the animal shelters, veterinary bills and the tools needed to be able to maintain this amount of forest. Another portion will go towards the countless hands that have stepped forward longing to be a part of this project. We are now planning the creation of a cafe where we can platform our local vegan and vegetarian young chef fresh from South Africa. 


About the Land
Our land is situated in the French Pyrenees in a very peaceful and wild location, yet it is close to Carcassonne and Toulouse & an hour and a half drive to the coast. The region is drenched in history and known for its healing powers coming from the countless springs, caves and gorges.  There is a sense the Sacred Feminine is particularly potent in this corner of southern France. Perhaps it is the fecundity of the land which feeds the underground stream of the feminine or, perhaps, it is something more. Something almost forgotten, yet continues to more than survive. 

The surroundings at Les Contes are mostly pristine ancient forest and some farmlands, the neighbourhood is very quiet; the slopes are quite mountainous and they form a magnificent green shield towards the cold winds, while on the other side our local river blesses the valley with its clear waters and abundance of fish. 

Our property extends on 8 hectares it is very well exposed to all four directions. There is a wide variety of environments, with some areas that are more steep and wild, but also a good amount of flat. There is an abundance of old fruit trees and new younger ones are coming, ancient grapes with an enormous mountain house, comprised of 15 bedrooms, and 4 gites forming the main living space. We have a spring at the back of the house which provides year-long fresh mountain water. 

There is plenty of space for the expansion and creation of new structures and fields for growing food and medicines. It's a place of magic. Come and see for yourself!




About the House 
Les Contes is the name of the house and it means "tales or stories".  We have many stories to tell about this land and its history, and Les Contes is a place where you can receive them. This 15 bedroom mountain house, which also comes with four self-sustainable gites, is home to a chapel called Notre Dame de Sophia with an enormous spring out the back, a full-size labyrinth, Ye Olde Bookshoppe and The Pump House Cafe. So there is rather a lot going on! And the vision is big - but by golly, we have a lot of invisible help! The house will 'house' all those who are ready, willing and able to take the 'red pill' and begin the journey of creating Heaven on Earth. The French Pyrenees has often been the breeding ground for this kind of renaissance, based on the values of Love, Honour and Generosity. 




About Us
We are one big family.  Patrick and Dinah are Anaiya's parents, and Pete is her husband.  Anaiya's parents took a leap of faith in the summer of 2020 when in their late 70's they decided to up sticks from the UK and relocate to France. Back in 2015, Pete did exactly the same thing.  Sadly, Patrick passed over just days after moving in, yet his generous presence is the light that continues to guide the way. 


How You Can Help Us 
If you feel a resonance with our mission and have the ability to make a financial contribution please know that every donation is received with deep, heartfelt gratitude and the desire to continue to delight you with our growth. However, what we would really prefer, is for you to come and visit us, and to spend some time here.  Our proposal is that you earmark some time in the future to come to Les Contes and to pay now for your future stay.  That way, we use the money for when it is most needed - now, in the renovation, helping hands and endless materials!
We hope that you will spend time with us at the Bed and Breakfast, to explore, learn, heal and help us grow. We can almost certainly promise you - a life altering experience. 
So here are a few options where you could really help. 



You can do this by pledging a Donation:

Thank you for taking the time to read about us, we love you!

*No sweepstakes, gifts or returns are offered in exchange for donations made to our GoFundMe campaign*



Help us build a better future for ourselves and the children of the future.
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Donations 

  • Katy McManus
    • €200 
    • 6 mos
  • Sarah Grace
    • €333 
    • 9 mos
  • Carolyn Billingham
    • €50 
    • 1 yr
  • Susie Fryar
    • €22 
    • 1 yr
  • Janice Gillette
    • €22 
    • 2 yrs
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Fundraising team (2)

Aletheia Sophia
Organizer
Raised €950 from 9 donations
Sautel
Pete Wilson
Team member
Raised €750 from 1 donation
This team raised €695 from 5 other donations.

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