A woman who became the first ever English winner of the World Wool Handling Championships has gone on to win at the Royal Bath & West Show just one week later.

Hilary Bond, whose family farm near Newton Abbot, Devon, scooped the world championship title in Ireland on 25 May, before returning to win the Ackroyd & Dawson Open Wool Handling competition at the Bath & West Show on 30 May.

“It’s been amazing,” she said. “I can’t believe it really. I just wanted to get into the finals in Ireland – but once I got there it was all to play for. Then returning to the Bath & West Show, I was so nervous, because of all the pressure of being introduced as the world champion, but I’m really pleased with how I did.”

Wool handling is an important part of the sheep shearing process. Whether on farm or in competitions, handlers must remove the fleece from the shearing area, along with the separate belly wool, and throw it onto a slatted table so it lands square and flat. They then need to discard any waste bits, and roll the fleece correctly with the matching belly wool, so that it can be efficiently packed into bags ready to send off for processing. And as if that’s not enough, this must all be done in a matter of seconds, to keep up with the shearers.

“There is quite a lot involved – you have to be very organised and you can get in a real mess if you miss a belly,” said Miss Bond. Marks are given on quality of the floor management, table presentation and speed of work.

“The British Wool Marketing Board is making a big effort to promote better wool handling on farms,” she said. “If you’re trying to keep up with three or more shearers it’s very difficult to do it to a high standard – but poorly packed fleeces cost more in the long run.”

So how did she get into fleece handling? “My father used to shear all our sheep, so my sister Rosemarie and I used to pick up the wool,” said Miss Bond. “When Rosemarie started shearing I was left doing the wool for both of them, and then it spiralled as I took on work with other farmers and contractors.”

Keen to get into competition, Miss Bond then went on a training course run by the British Wool Marketing Board. Coming second in her first ever show in 2003, she then went on to represent England at five international Golden Shears championships, travelling as far afield as New Zealand and Australia to compete, before taking the title at her sixth championships this year.

“I’d like to do some more competitions, but I’m more involved in the running of the farm now, and there’s a lot of travelling involved,” she added. “I’m not doing so much commercial handling now either – but Rosemarie still shears our sheep so I work alongside her.”