I thought most are hardy not sure but I've never lost any in the winter. always take the smaller ones in for winter though gives then a head start in the growing season

these flowers always remind me of my Nana,

any tips on growing and keeping it alive ?

Depends if it 'hardy' or not miles
it not then it needs protection in the winter you can apparently just bury it in a deep hole in the ground
like brookside

have never had one before as always been expensive, I do not like to spend too much on plants as they often do not last, I have good neighbours and we take cuttings and seeds and share them.

this was a good price so thought I would give it ago, I am putting it in a large pot so may try putting the pot in the green house for the winter, thanks

Would really like a 'hardy' one myself much less hassle
no idea how much that would be

I thought most are hardy not sure but I've never lost any in the winter. always take the smaller ones in for winter though gives then a head start in the growing season

Most fuchsias are hardy, the only really real decision when buying is whether you want a trailing variety i.e. for a hanging basket.
If you are worried and have planted outside just pile a couple inches of soil on top after the leaves fall off for the winter.
Not sure where the idea they are expensive is coming from, they are pretty cheap these days and, unlike many of the plants they are often sold alongside, they will get bigger and last much longer (for some reason they often get sold alongside annuals like marigolds) making them much better value.
But it's rare that I would spend as much as £3.99 on a single plant, it woukd have to be very big or the variety unusual. I prefer getting smaller plants.
They are pretty easy to take cuttings from too, so you get more for the future with minimal effort.

Hundreds of buds. No. I grew these at a prorogation nursery in the winter and no variety will achieve hundreds of individual flowers in a season.