Marc Finch never intended to feature in the public’s mind as the man with the problem plumbing, but sometimes life conspires against you. Marc and Joanna Finch, stars of the BBC’s Living The Dream, hadn’t realised the important part toilet facilities would play when they headed off to their new life in the Dordogne.
“I’d no idea how fixated campers were with the ablution block,” laughs Marc.
The trials of settling into a new life were vividly portrayed in February 2003, and again on the re-visited show earlier this year. Since the first show aired, Marc and Joanna have transformed a run-down, barely used campsite into a vibrant going concern, but it hasn’t been easy. Looking around at the trimmed hedges separating the camping emplacements, neat gravel paths, crystal clear pool and immaculate kitchen, it is difficult to remember the site as it appeared on the television.
They’d been aware, prior to purchase, that the campsite was in decline, but hadn’t been prepared for the true state of affairs. From towering hedges to dead mice in the kitchen, nothing was as they’d hope to find it. The Dutch organisation, which had been sending campers to the site for several years, were threatening to remove L’Etang Bleu from their brochure unless the shower block was brought up to the required standard.
They have since re-fitted the kitchen, installed new vans, and upgraded the site in every conceivable direction. With the improvements complete they requested an additional star be added to their rating. This in turn led to one of their many frustrating tangles with the French passion for rules and regulations.
“We asked for an inspection from the Tourist Board to see if we qualified for the additional star,” recounts Marc. “It was so exasperating. Apparently we can’t upgrade to three-star unless we tar all the roads on the property, but we aren’t allowed by the Mairie to do that, as some of the roads run through the forest, which is protected. I got so incensed that I’ve opted out of the French star rating system altogether.”
The Dutch tourists, however, have returned to the site, more than happy with the improved facilities. Over 70% have made repeat bookings for next year.
Buying a business in France follows almost the same format as purchasing a house. A deposit is paid at the time of making the offer, followed by the balance on completion. But in addition the Finches had to form two companies, one to hold the nine hectares of land and buildings (SCI), the second to lease the land from the SCI and to operate as a trading concern (SARL). This would enable them, should they wish, to sell the campsite business, but still retain the land.
The slow pace of life, added to the maze of legislation, would infuriate a less easy going couple than the Finches. Joanna recounts an example of the workings of French bureaucracy. “Marc has a dream to install log cabins here as an alternative to static caravans. For two years we’ve been dealing with everyone from the architect to the tourist board. The cabins are constructed in Canada, and two of them have been sitting at Le Havre for months, waiting for the necessary clearances. We’ve been expecting them to begin the journey south any day now, and then, at the last meeting in Périgueux we found out that our village needs a Carte Communal before we can go ahead with the scheme (permission to house mobile homes larger than 35m2 – the cabins are 90m2). It could take another two years to organise, but we have to accept that’s the way things sometimes happen in France.”
When asked what advice they would give to anyone planning to follow in their footsteps, they are unequivocal in reply: “Unless you do your homework, stay in the UK,” says Marc. “Without a proper business plan, it’s all too easy to fail. If we’d known then what we know now, we’d never have made the move. We’d been planning for two years, and still weren’t properly prepared.”
They see many families passing through the site having sold up everything and arriving in France without any idea of where they are going to live, or what type of business they intend to open. Some of them arriving with little or no capital, but believing everything will fall into place. “Why people think it’s easier to live in France without any money, I don’t know. It’s harder because you’ve got the language problem to deal with as well,” says Joanna.
The Finches employed a translator at first, but soon realised running a business was impossible unless they improved their language skills. “Jo had ‘O’ level French and I could order a beer,” says Marc. “Everything at the site is done in French, so we had to learn very quickly.” Even though they are now able to converse freely, they still plan to take a course in business French.
Their three sons, Samuel 6, Nicholas, 3 and 6-month-old Louis, who was born in France, are clearly happy with living on the campsite. For Joanna it was almost a homecoming, her parents having owned caravan parks in the UK. “My mother was always there when I came home from school,” recalls Joanna.
The children have adapted well, although they mix the two languages at times. Samuel struggled for the first few weeks, unable to understand or be understood at school, but one day the language clicked into place, and he hasn’t looked back. When speaking English the boys occasionally use the French word order, like asking for the sauce red, but generally they switch between French and English with ease. It helps that Marc and Joanna are friends with the parents of many of the village boys. “We belong to the community, it’s the only way to integrate,” says Marc.
Walking down to the lake, from which L’Etang Bleu derives its name, it is easy to see why Marc and Joanna fell so deeply in love with the site. The lake is a haven of peace and tranquillity, a paradise for nature lovers and fishermen alike. “It would have been cost prohibitive to buy a similar site in England,” says Marc. “This place is so beautiful, that even if we hadn’t bought it as a business, we still would have wanted to live here.”
For Marc, driving his beloved tractor mower over the many walks is a world away from his previous occupation of stockbroker, and he regrets nothing. Joanna, who recalls telling the TV crew that the mower was a serious rival for Marc’s affections, couldn’t imagine going back to the confines of her banking career. It seems they have no regrets about making the move to France, changing not only their occupations, but also their entire way of life.
They look on their BBC experience as something unique to keep for their boys. A record of how much their lives changed. Had they known the mountain they’d have to climb to effect that change, they aren’t certain they’d have taken the first step. But they have no regrets; both feel with each passing day that life gets better and better.
© Written as Susan Denham (Lorraine Mace) 2004
