No 2 - The volunteers

Before any sheepdog trial can take place, be it large or small, an army of people has to do a tremendous amount of work, most of the helpers being unpaid. There are the hosts who provide the venue, and often the sheep, and those who put up fences, pens and gates. At larger trials there are stewards who organise parking, and for participants and visitors to be comfortable, somebody has to provide toilets and catering. There is at least one judge, who has to sit all day and watch intently, (hopefully) assisted by a timekeeper, and does not even have a chance to compete! Then there is the booker in, who has a job with more responsibility than many people realise. There are letters out and the putters away, whose dogs work harder than everybody else. When it's all over, trophies and prizes are presented, and the results collected for publication. And once silence has descended on what was a hive of activity, the sheep have to be put away, and everything dismantled and tidied up.

A cheer, please for the volunteers!

Top: Competitors, hosts and sponsors celebrate together at the Kilusty trial in Ireland;

Centre left: The committee of the new North Reston trial in Lincolnshire: James & Sally Read, Stuart & Linda Jarvis.

Centre right: Alison Smith and Alice Potter, hosts of a new trial in Worcestershire;

Bottom: A band of volunteers at the One Tree trial in Canada.

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