Association La Porte Ouverte, or “Open Door” as it is more usually known, was founded in 2004 to provide a support service to all those suffering from the effects of long term illness as well as those who care for them.  From it’s first opening our drop-in centre at 18 rue Pierre Pestureau, Civray in the French department of the Vienne, has proved very popular providing a cup of tea or coffee, a biscuit  and a friendly welcome to all those who needed to use our services.

A short while after our opening we instigated our PALS Support Network.  (PALS is an acronym for Professional, Amateur and Lay Support).  The object of PALS is to provide a listening and counselling service particularly concerning problems of Bereavement, Family Crises, Isolation and Addiction.  In order to assist in this enterprise we opened a 24 hour telephone answering service on 05 49 87 97 36.  This telephone service is monitored frequently each day and any calls passed on to an appropriate counsellor/listener who is supported in their task by experienced personnel.

This year we have set up a structured training course for all listener and counsellor volunteers and this is being run to N.V.Q. standard as a demonstration of the Association’s professional attitude to its role within the community.

In June 2006 the Association started a lending library of English books, videos and DVD’s available not only to members of the general public, but also to people who are staying in hospital or convalescent homes and who require books or magazines written in the English language.  At the present time we have some 4,000 books and 250 DVD's available for loan for an annual library membership fee of just 3 euros.

The Association assists a number of self-help support groups including support for people affected by Breast Cancer.

A number of social interest groups have been created from contacts made at our drop-in centre including a sewing circle and a reading group.

We have on occasion produced a number of information sheets concerning items of importance to the expat British community including information concerning the registration of your British motor vehicle in France, the French succession laws, French Income Tax and the Cheque Emploi Service.

Our statutes authorize us to support other like minded organizations and to this end we have been active in Breast Cancer Awareness month and have recently donated 500 euros from our funds to Ligue Contra La Cancer in Poitiers.