The LFN Digestive is a non-profit newsletter and web site; www.lfn.org.uk for ex pats who live mainly in the South West part of France. There are many other readers who live elsewhere but have an interest in this area of France because they own a holiday home here or are regular visitors.

Some 20 years ago LFN had a British Food;business with stalls on a number of markets: Scott Goodall who is the author of a book called The Freedom Trail asked if we would sell poppies on our stall. The Chemin de la Liberté or Freedom Trail is the escape route across the central Pyrenees into Northern Spain used during WW2.

The amounts raised in the Poppy boxes were quite small in those days, but it was noticed that there was and still is a lot of interest in the Royal British Legion by the expats in our area.

The LFN Digestive has become a popular information outlet for expats and has been a tool for raising funds for the Royal British Legion from the sale of the Poppies during the October and November poppy weeks. Some ten years ago we held our first Poppy Fair, a three-day fundraising event, and our main attraction a very large model railway which had been built by Cliff Marker, former Senior N C O with the Royal Signals regiment .

Fund raising for the Royal British Legion has now become a way of life.. We have held other events to raise funds for worthy causes including; 7/7 London Appeal. The Salvation Army in Regent Street London, and for “Young Jack” the son of Lee Rigby, the British Army Soldier, Drummer Fusilier who was murdered on a London street, and locally Cancer Support France.

We have a team of volunteers who help at all our fund raising- events. A number of Chelsea Pensioners in their scarlet jackets have flown in to help also Two Beef Eaters from the Tower of London helped us increase our poppy sales by welcoming passengers at both Beziers and Carcassonne Airports.

Adverts placed in the LFN Digestive from local English businesses are paid for by donating to the Royal British Legion.Lezignan. Expats can exchange their books and DVDs for a donation into the Poppy Box.

Life over the past few years in our part of France has changed dramatically. A large number of our supporters have returned to the UK mainly because of Brexit, then Covid and family reasons.