Another article for Maria-Louise Sawyer today – SUNDAY TIMES newspaper.
I am delighted today to see the Sunday Times has followed up on my original exclusive story, which six months ago appeared in the Daily Mail, about the plight of British couples who move to France and then how often such a move splits them up.
Sell Your Story blog readers will recall Marie-Louise Sawyer originally emailed me through my website, Featureworld, in April this year. Maria-Louise and her husband had moved to France but when their relationship fell on hard times, he moved back to Britain, leaving her alone in their French chateau. At the time I spoke to other wives who’d also been ‘abandoned’ by their British partners in France.
Then after the feature appeared in May over two pages in the Daily Mail newspaper, I suggested to Maria-Louise as she spoke French, she ought to set up a website to help others in the same situation. Unsurprisingly! I suggested she get a WordPress site as this one is! And she did… so her organisation about women alone in France was born.
Now today I read this extraordinarily similar article in the Sunday Times, once again detailing Maria-louise’s experience – I am thrilled for Marie-Louise that from emailing me at Featureworld that day, her project took off so well. And, as at the time I was amazed at the amount of women who wrote to me saying the same thing had happened to them, it is good to see this subject addressed again in another national newspaper.
Do you want to gain publicity for your organisation? Email me here: Get publicity for my story
Hi Alison,
I hope you don’t mind me writing I have put your article from today on the WAIFS2010 site and I haven’t seen the article in the Times. If you have a copy please email it and I can see it too. I am still alive and kicking.
A lot has happened since I first spoke to you in the spring. I had no idea what I was starting with WAIFS2010 and get lots of people writing to ask about help here as there seems to be an epidemic of people leaving people to fend for themselves with nothing. I hear a lot of very sad things obviously and try and point them in the right direction but am not starting a dating site in spite of many requests.
On Nov 9th I finally after over two years of trying moved house and am now living 4 kms away from my house in a new bungalow and it is lovely and I am very happy to have sold finally. I am close enough for work and friends but not freezing this winter and so am able to move on I hope and that is huge for me as you can imagine. Today for example I did get a good run in and the new bit from here to Bouex and only going around the wood once makes the Sunday run about 28 kms now and the usual run in the week about 24 so about 10% more each time which is good. It was raining at 7.30 when I left home and it would have been easy to go back to bed but it stopped and I was pleased I had made the effort. I have only done this twice now on Sundays so far and found the bit from Bouex, home a bit hard as I had done enough but it was fine and I did it and it will get easier in a couple more weeks.
My French friends as always stepped up to the line however and I will never forget how kind they have all been helping me get settled here. I have been very lucky haven’t I? I still have to pinch myself at times though to actually believe I am here and today I had hoped to lunch at Jean and Moniques my old neighbours but as they didn’t ring was not sure what to do. I decided to brazen it out and went over only to find the chimney going but noone there so drove home again and had some toast and paté. I then made a rice pudding and had chips as the oven was hot and an egg so am well fed and ready to relax into a new life now. Earlier at Jeans I saw cars next door and a white van and thought rather you than me! Sad though as I had such hope that moving there would be a good thing, but this is so much better and ofcourse all mine.
Well off to see what is on “the magic box” again, I had the TV sat dish connected yesterday so luxury…. I really enjoyed “Merlin” and today saw the omnibus of Eastenders, it is a break in the winters evenings ahead and a bit of company. This week will finally I hope be a “normal week” with a run and a few English lessons planned. Last Thursday morning at 3am I was working at a local supermarket stocktaking until 9.00am so was very tired after that but ofcourse am still trying to keep the wolf from the door.
Well that is about all the news really for now. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to print my story and ofcourse for getting me started helping other women alone in France. I don’t know if you fancy a follow up in another magazine or know someone on TV I am as you know up for most things and need to reach as many women alone here as I can. I trust you are keeping busy and getting ready for Christmas now no doubt. Have a good week, be well Maria