Hi Paula and welcome from France! I'm from the UK and have lived in the New Forest, the Cotswolds and East Anglia but was born in Blackpool - are you near any of those places?! LOL
Good advice above - I would only add that I wouldn't invest loads of money in a machine until you know what kind of quilter you will be. Start with a basic one and go from there. A lot of the ladies on here have two or more machines - I just bought a second one so I can machine quilt - and so the first will never go to waste. Or you can always trade it in or sell it on if you decide you want to upgrade. You'll get lots of advice and inspiration here - and fun too!