The Wilkinson Sword 2008 Awarded to H.Glyn Jones

Press Release from 2008

The prestigious award for services to the International Sheepdog Society, sheepdogs and trialling, the Wilkinson Sword, has this year been awarded to H. Glyn Jones of Bodfari, North Wales - now in his 81st. year and still competing.

Training, breeding and handling sheepdogs has been in Glyn's family for generations and he learned many of his skills from his father and grandmother, gradually adapting them and developing his own approach and methods to become one of the top handlers in Wales and Britain, regularly competing in trials and running in his first Welsh National in 1946.

Glyn's first major trialling success was to win the Shepherd's Class with Glen (92091) at the Welsh National in Swansea in 1952, the first of many National placings, which have enabled him to represent Wales at the International Sheepdog Trials. But probably his greatest achievement was to win the International held on Robin Price's land in Bala in 1973 - the centenary of the first sheepdog trial to be held in North Wales and, arguably, Britain. Since that time, Glyn has won the Welsh National twice (with Bwlch Taff), been Reserve International Champion twice and won the brace class three times in the One Man and His Dog television series, with countless other wins in other major and local trials.

Always keen to promote sheepdog training, Glyn was one of the first to teach would-be handlers at the Agricultural Trading Board classes and has also run many clinics and training classes at Bwlch Isaf over the years, passing on his skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.  He has also travelled to America, Canada, South Africa, Scandinavia and Europe, judging trials and holding clinics and training classes.

After the 1982 Falklands War, Glyn was approached by the Crown Agents with a request for 35 puppies to be exported to the islands to enable the sheep farmers there to extend their sheep farming skills - a mammoth undertaking requiring a wide range of excellent breed lines to facilitate future breeding programmes.  With the help and co-operation of many top breeders, this was successfully achieved and contact has been maintained with several of the farming families who received those pups.

A long-time member of the I.S.D.S and the North Wales Sheepdog Society, Glyn has been an International and Welsh National judge, has written a very successful book on his life and sheepdog training methods, has made training videos and still loves taking part in anything to do with sheepdogs.

Glyn is well-known, not only for his great achievements in the sheepdog world but also for his colourful personality, great sense of humour and sometimes controversial comment; he has also had unstinting support from his wife, Beryl, who keeps Glyn on the straight and narrow in connection with all the administration that Glyn's activities entail.  I'm hopeless at all that' says Glyn - a worthy winner.

Barbara C. Collins