Author: Craig McGinty

  • Disability party to field candidates in Presidential Election

    ErictaffoureaumilletheadLife in France as a disabled person is, at least, difficult.
    Access, services, employment and independence are all things that are taken for granted in everyday life but for the disabled they are almost exclusively denied.

    Banks that have no disabled access, lack of disabled parking spaces, few shopping trolleys that attach to wheelchairs, restricted checkouts in supermarkets and the lack of dropped kerbs are just a few obstacles that make life for the disabled frustrating and humiliating.

    Eric Taffoureau-Millet has first hand experience of the problems disabled people face, being the victim of a cycling accident at the age of 17 which left him in a coma. Two further accidents compounded the problems he faced. As a previous top class cyclist he knew that he had to move on and his change of direction empowered him to take up the fight.

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  • Joyeux Noël

    If you are going to be spending your first Christmas in France, what can you expect?

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  • Selling on a French market

    Shopsales2605_4RELYING on just the income from a gîte can be a risky proposition, so people will often look at other options to ensure the money keeps flowing.

    Here Tony Scott outlines the steps he took to register to sell fishing tackle at markets in the Haute-Vienne region.

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  • Handy guide to moving abroad

    Passport0609_2THE Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been highlighting the perils and pitfalls of moving abroad.

    They have stressed the importance of getting your financial affairs in shape, ensuring health provision for yourself and family is set up and raising awareness of making informed decisions when buying overseas.

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  • Chronic Fatigue/ME and associated disorders

    I have had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since at least 2000 and it is believed it has been with me since before then. I suffered a stroke in October 2000 and I found that because I was at my lowest point after the stroke the CFS really took off in a big way.

    In England I had a support network which I was able to turn to when things got bad but mainly my husband was my carer.

    When we moved to France in 2004 I found that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and its associated conditions are not as readily accepted as an ‘illness’, I could find no one who really understood what the illness is or how to treat it.

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  • For those with special diets

    For those of you thinking of living or even visiting France it can become a shock that dietary needs are not easily taken into consideration.

    Naturally some areas are better served than others, but it is better to be forewarned that you could encounter problems.

    I am lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant so I have had to look further a field than my local supermarket to find suitable foods. They sell Soya milk and yoghurt but I cannot find any gluten free products.

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  • Quilting around the world from the Dordogne

    Cat311006WHEN Clare Worthy began quilting, using dresses her daughter had grown out of, little did she know that her pastime would wrap around the world.

    From her home in the Dordogne, Clare has called on a network of quilters to help raise awareness of Leukaemia research after her brother-in-law was diagnosed with the illness.

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  • Economic effect of a booming airport

    Flght_scrn_2405_4_7ALTHOUGH airlines are always keen to start new routes to France, if financially viable, just what impact do they have on the local economy?

    The tourism trade and property sector are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries, but as the residents of Deauville highlighted the welcome mat is not always rolled out.

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  • Getting the best from estate agents

    House1810_5BUYING a home or investment property in France is exciting!

    There is just about every type of home and property one could wish to find, writes David Seymour.

    France is a large and diverse country, and you are sure to find your dream home whether it be a superb town house in Bordeaux, a prestigious chateau in Gironde or a holiday home in Lot-et-Garonne.

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  • A breath of fresh air for Burgundy

    The French government introduced the EVIN law in 1991, which gave everyone the right not to be exposed to smoke from someone else’s cigarettes. However, the law seems to have been effectively ignored. Recently ministers issued guidelines to businesses which are open to the public that they should, wherever possible, provide non smoking areas.

    In October 2005 Swiss born Felix Leisinger became the new owner of the 350 year old Hôtel Saint-Louis in Autun, Saône et Loire, after working for many years in London.

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