“It’s important to have good neighborly relations”: Neighbors’ Day is launched in the neighborhoods of Alès

Neighbors’ Day, in the allotment gardens of La Prairie, is serious! FREE NOON – ALEXIS BETHUNE

La Maison du protestantisme accueille du monde. MIDI LIBRE – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Ambiance “conviviale”, bien sûr, devant le temple. MIDI LIBRE – ALEXIS BETHUNE

Dans la soirée de ce vendredi 31 mai, dans de nombreux coins de la capitale des Cévennes, dans le Gard, les riverains partagent un moment convivial.

Wild boar fillets ready for the barbecue, pizzas, salads, etc. And to drink! In the allotment gardens of La Prairie, in Alès, the neighbors' party is serious. On this evening of Friday, May 31, around fifty guests are expected. "Every year, we mobilize. We're a great team!", smiles Simioana Vergnes, who cultivates a plot there. "It’s important to have good neighborly relations. It maintains mutual aid…"

On the square in front of the Alès temple, a theme was chosen

On the other side of the Gardon, on the square in front of the temple, the atmosphere is also "friendly". Here, Marisol Gonzalez, caretaker of the Cévennes lodges, is one of the little hands in charge. "We choose a theme. This year, it's "hats", while in past years, it"costume" and "karaoke"& ;quot;, she explains. As in La Prairie, everyone brings a dish or drink to share, and then "we plan to sing, dance, have fun".

"Otherwise, we don't see each other"

And it's like that throughout Alès: here and there, groups form, sympathize, sometimes wait for one of the peñas mandated by the municipality to pass by enhance this popular entertainment. In the garden of the Maison du Protestantisme, in the hyper-center, the atmosphere is bucolic. This is the first time that residents of Baronie and Frédéric-Mistral streets have gathered there for the Neighbors’ Day, orchestrated here by volunteers from Secours catholique. Quite simply because the place where they generally land is near Mairie Prim’, in the middle of a restructuring project. Regardless, the goal remains the same. "It’is having contact with others because, otherwise, we don't see each other", said, smiling, Marie- Andrée Simon. His sidekick Alain Fuseau completely agrees: "It’is a way to meet."