She brought together 1,600 “friends” for a festive weekend in the Dordogne. What is this association?

IThey did not go unnoticed, in groups in the cafes of the center of Périgueux. Nearly 1,600 “tablers” have just spent the weekend in Dordogne. Did you say “tablers”? This is what the members of the Round Table movement call themselves.

The National Committee of the Regions (CNR) 2025 took place from Friday January 17 to Sunday January 19, in the Périgueux metropolitan area. Member of the local club and co-president of the event, Mathieu Malmonté explains: “We brought together friends from the other French Round Tables, coming from all over the country, but also tablers from Malta, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland …”

“To join, you must be a man aged 18 to 41. But all the events we organize are family”

A movement launched in England

But what is this movement launched in 1927 in England? Mathieu Malmonté summarizes: “To join, you must be a man aged 18 to 41. But all the events we organize are family friendly (1)! We cultivate the values ​​of kindness, sharing and friendship. We don't talk about politics, religion, or work. It's the ideal place to meet people and make friends. »

This is also why he joined the Périgueux Round Table: “When I arrived in Dordogne, in 2013, I knew almost no one there. » Himself the boss of a company (in this case Cubner), he insists: “Anyone can come, we have people from all backgrounds. »

Solidarity actions

The Périgord association, born in 1963 and currently chaired by Jérôme Lesoille, is called TR 71 “because it is the 71^e in chronological order of creations in France”. Its 25 members meet twice a month, “at a restaurant or at a member’s house”, to “spend good times together” but also to organize solidarity actions. The “afterwork” evenings have, for example, already enabled them to support hospital clowns, via Des Boules aux noses, or to finance the purchase of books adapted to dyslexic people, given to the Périgueux media library.

In reference to both the identity of the Round Table and the 1,001 castles of Dordogne, the CNR 2025 had as its theme the Legend of King Arthur. Mobilized for months to organize this weekend's gathering, TR 71 had pulled out all the stops. The meetings, rather festive and epicurean, mainly took place at the Palio de Boulazac: XXL costume party with DJ Charles B on Friday, gala dinner on Saturday and brunch on Sunday, to end gently. For the “serious” statutory part, it was either at the Palio or at the Joséphine-Baker center in Périgueux.

“An event like this has knock-on effects on the economy. The participants stayed all over the city, in hotels, lodges, Airbnb type accommodation, etc. We made sure to choose local service providers such as, for example, the Ferme de Puycheny, thanks to whom we “I’m delighted,” explains Mathieu Malmonté.

(1) The Round Table belongs to the “same family” as Club 41, whose members are often former “tablers” who are over the age limit, the Ladies Circle and the Agora (both female). This family is called Quatalagor.