After bringing up her three children, Barbara worked for Dyslexia Action and later, having achieved a first class degree in Linguistics and Psychology with the Open University and a PGCE, she worked as a teacher in local colleges. Born and bred in Yorkshire, Barbara has enjoyed art, crafts, music, history and languages throughout her life and has recently joined a York U3A Spanish conversation group. She has sung in several different choirs, particular highlights being at Selby Abbey, York Minster and the Albert Hall; she and Tim are currently members of a York choir and also perform as a duo all around Yorkshire. In addition they run 'Sing Yourself Happy', a weekly singing group for elderly people (many of whom are living with dementia), supported by a group of fantastic volunteers who hold the fort when Barbara and Tim are travelling. For several years Barbara was a member of two walking groups, with whom she tackled some of Britain's highest peaks, and in 2010 climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. With Tim she has travelled extensively in Australia, Cambodia, China, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as on their many motorhoming adventures in Europe, venturing through the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany to Italy, Sicily, Croatia, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia, plus France, Spain and Portugal.