Through an acute illness in September 2001, which resulted in Neil being admitted to hospital for a week, we became much closer than the friends we thought we were, and became engaged on Boxing day 2001. Our wedding on May 4th 2002 was attended by many friends met through John Denver and his music, and I could think of no other music to walk down the isle to, than “Annie’s Song”.  Ours was an unexpected story, and was featured in a national magazine called “That’s Life” in November 2002.

And so, NS&GW Concerts became simply N&GS Concerts.

Requests for our music are coming in all the time now, and I love the satisfaction it gives me to see the results of all the hard work we put in, in rehearsal and preparation for these events. We are not professional, in fact I have a full time profession as a community midwife in the local Wakefield area, and so anything we do musically means extra graft, on top of the normal day, to perfect the performance. But when a rehearsal begins, even after a hard day at work, it is all forgotten and the music takes over...........

In April 2001 Neil & I produced our first C. D. entitled “Wings Of A Dream” - The title was suggested by Neil, and also the dedication of the album, to my father, Corporal William C. Wales of The Royal Air Force, who died unexpectedly in April 1994. I will always be grateful to Neil for this gesture. Shortly before our wedding, Neil completed and performed his first composition, written especially for me, entitled “Dandelions & Daydreams”. This became the title of our second CD, recorded in the Spring of 2003. I feel very special to have had a song written about me and I thank my husband for it. ( Even though most girls get roses, not dandelions!!)

In the millennium year we decided to form NS&GW Concerts, and take our talents out into the world to the benefit of as many worthwhile causes as we could find. We share a great joy in being able to use our gifts in order to help deserving causes Our first concert together was in March 2000 for ‘ The Friends Of Chernobyl Children’,  helping children who are victims of the terrible nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Russia,( over £1300 was raised that night ) and the highlight for us was the subsequent invitation to actually meet those children and sing with them when they came over for health checks in September of that year. No price can be put on that experience, and seeing the courage of those children in dealing with the difficulty of their lives.

          Other concerts since that time have benefited ‘Marie Curie Cancer Care’, The Booker Hill School in High Wycombe, South Bucks., ‘The National Association for Crohn’s & Colitis disease’, The Seed Of Life Peace Foundation’, ‘The Lueero Medical Centre’ in South Africa , ‘The Support Dogs Association’, ‘The Staffordshire Stroke Association’, The Wakefield Hospice’, ‘The West Yorkshire Blind Association’ and many many more. To date we have raised over £16,000 for worthy causes. We think John would be glad that his music was being used in this way.

In September 1998, I was given a video to watch, of a guy called Neil Sharman performing at a gathering of ‘The Friends Of John Denver‘, a group formed following the death of the singer. I was very impressed with his performance, and the fact that for once, here was someone who was not trying to sound like John Denver, blond wig and glasses and all; Here was someone putting his own style and character to the music we all loved. I met him at Christmas that year and suggested that we might sing something together at the next event, planned for May 1999.

I was not to know then that this would be the start of something big for both of us.  It was a great thrill for me to be privileged to sing with such a talented musician and I will always be grateful to him for the very special relationship that this has since become, and for all we have shared together over the time since. Not only music, but a sense of fun which has to be seen to be believed and which comes out on stage at most concerts we now perform. I did not know what I was taking on, agreeing to sing with this guy...!!