People

Briton in France organises commemoration for Allied POWs in World War Two

He presented certificates to French and British descendants of POWs at British Embassy event in Paris

'People come from all over the world to see our little street' in France

How a retired Nice resident accidentally created a potted-plant photo spot and tourist attraction on his doorstep

Guerrilla gardeners are greening France's urban areas

Paris influencer shares tips to reclaim run-down public plots through the 'universal language' of gardening

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‘French people have a real pride in their food and in their ingredients’

Former BBC journalist and author Steve Parks talks about his life in France and how he beat the French at their own game in a cooking contest

Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens - to the great joy of this fervent fan from Canada

Emily MacKinnon, 29, moved to France to found a Notre-Dame dedicated tour-guide company. She collects everything she can about the cathedral - and even has six Notre-Dame related tattoos

Profile: French scientist Didier Raoult banned from practising medicine

The self-declared 'maverick' microbiologist who promoted a discredited Covid drug, faces a two-year professional suspension

Revered French national icon falls from grace

Celebrated anti-poverty and homelessness campaigner Abbé Pierre was voted France’s most popular person for many years, but sexual abuse accusations have shattered the activist priest’s crusading legacy

I challenged myself to visit (nearly) all 2,900 of France's regional train stations

Meet the man who spent five years and €5,000 exploring 'the most beautiful county in the world' by TER and omnibus trains

PHOTOS: Renovations to our maison de maître have made us YouTube stars in France

Rebecca and Jack Jenkins fell in love with a dilapidated property in Charente, south western France, and fixing it up brought an added bonus

I fell in love with wild, beautiful Cévennes in south-central France

Award-winning US poet Zaro Weil on why this remote part of France is a major inspiration for her work

Career change in France: From actress to estate agent

Jacqueline Reddin-Williams describes her journey to become a 'property matchmaker'

I moved to France and became a mountain guide

What inspired one British woman to settle in the Alps change careers

Tributes pour in for French film legend Alain Delon

Politicians lead the praise of France’s ‘leading man’

My story: I moved to France and became a botanical artist

Kate Churchwell explains quitting the ‘rat race’ in the City to pursue her passion for plants and art

French campsite offers flood victims free holiday

A campsite in southern France gifts 28 flood-affected families a chance to enjoy a sun-filled break

Niece's moving D-Day journey for her UK veteran uncle Bill

Kaye travels to Normandy as part of commemorations of invasion that began the liberation of France. Her uncle, who turned 100 earlier this year, had planned to make the trip but died a few weeks ago

The National's Bryce Dessner now calls France his home

The Connexion caught up with the US rock star ahead of his concert in Paris on June 5, discussing his life and experiences in France, and his career to date

How a Frenchman became a GI on Omaha beach in WW2

'All he could think about was getting safely to his mother, terrified that he might die so close to home'

French family battles Huntington's through sporting challenges

Calvados-based father, son and daughter go the extra mile to raise money to fight disease

Career change in France: from police officer to gardener

Amanda Freeman explains how she swapped law and order for a more creative vocation in the French countryside

Charles Aznavour: Grit and self-belief made the ‘French Frank Sinatra’

How the diminutive French singer went from poverty to stratospheric fame across the globe

‘Climate change should interest more people than it does’

France’s go-to expert on global warming and bestselling author, Jean-Marc Jancovici, talks to us about the future of our planet

Installing a natural pool at French home led to a new job

Alex Wells explains how building her own chlorine-free swimming pool led to a new role

British D-Day veteran Bill: I want to honour fallen comrades in France

The centenarian planned to return to Normandy this June - driven over by a London cab charity. He was just 20 at the time of the invasion and shared his memories of the day with Connexion during one of his interviews

‘Book about life with my dog touched so many people’

We speak to Cédric Sapin-Defour, author of the surprise bestseller which describes in lyrical language the relationship between him and his dog, Ubac

Barbara: The elfin singer, actress and French national treasure

An abuse survivor who forged a successful showbiz career despite remaining virtually unknown outside France

‘I want to show wheelchair users they can travel the world’

Eléonore Vern tells us about her plans for a solo round-the-world trip in an all-terrain wheelchair and why she will avoid Paris

How an American carpenter helped repair Notre-Dame de Paris

Peter Henrikson had never been to France before he started work on the cathedral’s roof after it was destroyed by fire

Alain Delon: French cinema legend dogged by scandal and family feud

We look back at the 88-year-old film star’s colourful life, on and off screen

Fixing France: ‘We must face colonial past and revive shared values’

French-Algerian author Nabila Ramdani tells us why ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ must apply to everyone if France is to repair

How a French winemaker put the world’s biggest wine fraudster in jail

I realised what was happening when I saw our wine on an auction list with a vintage 20 years before we started making it, said Laurent Ponsot

150 years of Impressionism: how Americans saved Monet from poverty

If you visit his Normandy home you will not see a real Monet work - but there are some nearby

Find my lost dogs and I will give you my car, pleads Frenchman

Dog owner will reward anyone who brings back his missing animals with a Peugeot 107, worth around €3,400

I moved to France and became an English translator by accident

A letter to a magazine editor in 1997 complaining about its poor translation led to a job offer to do better

The French craftsman making beautiful tiles for a Monaco landmark

A television report in 1979 kick-started Stéphane Montalto’s award-winning career as an artisan potter

Sam Goodchild: the British sailor preparing for his first Vendée Globe

‘The French love crazy sailing adventures, I feel at home here’

US president Thomas Jefferson’s French wine tour has lasting legacy

The third President of the United States wanted an American wine industry to compete with the ‘debauchery’ of whisky

Hacker, peep shows, jail: the story of a French tech billionaire

Artificial intelligence is the next realm to be conquered in legendary tycoon Xavier Niel’s colourful career

The French couple who loved, lived and died studying volcanoes

When scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft died on an erupting volcano they left a legacy of research that saves lives today

I want girls to pick this career, says French World’s Best Pastry Chef

The first woman to win the global patissier competition tells us how she had to fight to succeed

‘My videos help people find the best deals in French discount shops’

We spoke to the popular social media influencer who films herself hunting for bargains in Lidl, Aldi and Action

Two Americans moved to France 50 years apart - what has changed?

We speak to two US natives now living in Paris about their expatriate experience

‘Giving to help others in France and overseas is good for you’

The Fondation de France works with donors and volunteers to make the world a better place

Marguerite Durand: the force of France’s first feminist journalist

The 19th-century former actress founded a daily newspaper written and produced entirely by women

‘I set up an invisible disabilities media company after my diagnosis’

We speak to a journalist who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021 and is now giving a voice to people with less obvious disabilities

‘My aim is to improve France’s building trade by training more women’

A Marseille-based painter and decorator explains her plans to change the image of construction trades and encourage women to join

'I tell women to be bold - and I disagree with Elon Musk about saving our planet'

The first French woman to go into space shares her thoughts on Mars exploration

Mimie Mathy: French TV star who turned disability into a driving force

She may be virtually unknown outside of France but outspoken Mimie continues to be one of the country’s best-loved actresses

Frédéric Chopin: the short life of a musical genius

We discover the man behind the piano compositions - a child prodigy, Polish émigré and an unconventional love life

‘I hit rock bottom, learned to swim and then swam the Channel’

A childhood dream of swimming the English Channel got Stève Stievenart through divorce and depression

Couple who built a straw bale house in France share their one regret

The Britons have reduced their annual energy bills to €500 by living off-grid and want to pass on the lessons they have learnt

Career change: Africa safari guide to recycled art in France

We talk to Josie Easton about how wildlife still influences her ‘trash-to-treasure’ artwork in Limousin

British man walking from Cheshire to Eiffel Tower for charity

The 21-year-old said: ‘I want to help people who cannot afford Christmas’

‘I am learning to read at 43 after running my own business for years’

A successful French entrepreneur tells us how he hid his illiteracy and why he decided to learn to read and write

France’s ‘Iron man’: ‘I had this crazy dream of flying even higher’

He tells us how hard it is to fly and why he keeps inventing despite French bureaucracy and nosy neighbours

16 things you can do at your library in France apart from borrow books

From growing seeds to borrowing art, there is more to your local library than meets the eye

‘Running our Normandy camper van site is a holiday that never ends’

A couple’s determination to beat French bureaucracy and open their dream camper van site pays off

Models with disabilities are focus of photographer’s new French show

Juggling a logistics job and a family has not stopped a UK-born photographer creating her latest exhibition celebrating disability

‘We travel slowly through France in our tiny horse-drawn caravan’

With just 7m² of living space pulled by a horse called Zorba, this Bordeaux couple enjoy being kings of their own clock

American returns 68 years on to French town that helped him after WWII

He told The Connexion he met a childhood friend on the visit to the south of France where his family began to rebuild their lives on release from a Nazi labour camp

‘Rugby is the reason for my move to France’

International rugby referee shares his love of Gers and the difference between French and English rugby

What Americans notice when they move to France

Four US citizens in France explain what they have discovered about life here (apart from struggles with bureaucracy)

Interview with Ibrahim Maalouf: ‘I compose what comes from my heart’

The Lebanese-born French trumpeter tells us of his influences, collaborations and why he preaches the message of love

Rugby exclusive: How France became the team to beat in World Cup

Former national rugby coach Philippe Saint-André tells us how ‘les Bleus’ were transformed into winners

The Franco-Scottish teen on track to break mountain-climbing record

Alasdair McKenzie aims to become the youngest person ever to climb the 14 highest peaks in the world, and he is well on his way

TV couple who bought French hamlet open gite in a horsebox

The couple, who feature in the UK Channel 4 show Help! We Bought a Village, are rebuilding hamlet they bought for €26,000 in Normandy

Why Ligue 1 French football club has song that echoes British royalty

Le Havre Athletic Club was founded in 1872 by British expats, making it France’s oldest club in activity

Research and ruches: Paris librarian bringing bees to University

To work with bees, people have to learn to be calm, to work in a group, to notice the mood of the beehive, to think of how their actions affect others, to remain flexible, and to work with people from other disciplines