About us

The Wassail prefix was started after a trip to the U.S.A. I stopped off in a hotel in Somerset on the way home to freshen myself and in full flow was a Wassail evening complete with apples. Drinking tea and watching the events of the evening I soon thought that it was a good name to have since as a 40th birthday present my husband gave me my own personal registration number plate with this as the number.

In the past I was never keen on breeding the Wassail collies so stock that I have selected to show and enjoy my life with, have been chosen with the help of professionals.

I started showing in 1979 and I had my first pet collie from a moor farm in Tavistock in Devon, a shaded sable that showed true devotion and had the intelligence of a working collie. I have great memories of our first collie enjoying an exemption show, close to our house, and she picked up a 3rd place. I drove home feeling that she was the new start in an adventure that has continued to today. Her breeding was Aaronwell and the friendship I still have with her breeders is as good today as it was then.

Over the years the stock I have had has changed incredibly, with help from Maureen Colbourne [Sundorne] I purchased a sable bitch called Sundorne Secret Affair and that started my championship show journey. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, I was often reminded of this when I stood 2nd to a well-known winning bitch of the time.

With good advice Brian and Pauline Skyrme offered me Int.GB,Spn Ch Emryks Sheer Elegance at Wassail. What a pity I didn't have the chance to take her to such high heights, the Pelido kennels campaigned her to her crown and thats the one I shouldn't have let go.

Aaronwell lines have never been out of the kennels and I purchased the most beautiful tri-coloured bitch Aaronwell Black Debutante at Wassail. This bitch knew how to show and her presence until 3 years ago was a joy and privilege, unfortunately she was put to sleep to save suffering at the age of 11. Another tri that captured my heart was Triburle Golly Folly at Wassail from Christine Collins. I had seen her at six months at Border Union and pestered the life out of Christine to part with her. Just in her prime, the builders were working on our house and left the gate open and she was killed on the road.

It took some time for me to start again as I had lost two friends within 9 days of each other and the heart break that this entailed took its toll. Unable to face shows I was visiting Lyn Avery [Lynviews] and saw this ugly looking pup staring out of the kennel. This was the start again that I needed, I don't know what I saw in her, but didn't she have the ugly duckling story edited.. After a year of training and help [Pearl] Gemastra Pearl of Wisdom at Wassail took the RCC at the Collie Club of Wales under Jean Morgan, Pearl was bred by Wendy Smith [Gemastra] and is a very special dog to me.