Meet the team!!

Christine Anderton

Poodle

Hi I'm Christine and I represent the Poodle class for GTE.

I have been involved in grooming since the age of 3 following my mum's footsteps.

I am proud to be the only second family member to represent the country at international level - my mum was Poodle representive in 2011!!

I am the manager and tutor at Absolutely Animlas Ltd in London and hold my City & Guilds Level 3 in dog grooming and am qualified in teaching and assessing.

I have successfully competed both at home and abroad with Poodles and own two of my own, Etti and Kendra.

I'm looking forward to the journey!

Fiona Brook

Poodle

Hi I’m Fiona and represent the reserve for poodle class for Groom Team England. I began my grooming career in 1999 as a 10 year old, entering my first grooming competition at 11.

I have also shown dogs all my life from a 6 year old in the junior handling classes.

I have a salon based in Kings Lynn, Norfolk called Pride 2 Groom. I work alone and enjoy this, however I have always said if the right person came along I wouldn't say no!

I love grooming all breeds from large to small but my favourites are Poodles and American Cockers, they will always have a special place in my heart.

I have both Poodles and American Cockers at home and I show them too. I show at all levels and have won well with them over the years.

I have 4 UK champions, 1 American Cocker, 2 Minature Poodles and 1 Standard Poodle, with other multiple CC and RCC winners too. I am very proud of them, their willingness and love to show matches my own.

Georgia Willy

Pure Breed Scissor

Hi, I am Georgia Willy and I represent the Purebreed Scissor catergory for GTE.

I began my grooming career at my work experience when I was 15, before that I used to help my mum get our Akitas ready for the show ring. I went on to get an apprenticeship when I was 17 and just became obsessed, grooming was more than just my job it was my hobby too!
10 years on and I now have my very own salon based in Medway, Kent who I share with 3 table renters.
My grooming career has really taken off in 23/24 gaining many 1st, 2nd and 3rd places not only in the UK but overseas too. I have been nominated for multiple Liz Paul awards and also won best in show in May 24 at the Great British Grooming Show.

I always dreamed of GTE so in order to try and achieve it I needed to pick a catergory and a breed. I fell I love with the Lagotto at Crufts and from there I tried to have a crack at them in competitions, to say my road hasn’t been easy with this breed would be an understatement, but now I am the person people come to when they have a question about Lagottos and this warms my heart!
I have 4 dogs at home. 2 Akitas (Dora and Jammy), my rescue Staffy x (Breeze), and my very own Lagotto, Pukka! I have a lot to thank Pukka for me being on the team and I cannot wait for him to help me represent the Team at the world championships in 2026!

Connie Walker

Pure Breed Scissor

Hello, I’m Connie Walker and I represent the reserve for the Pure Breed Scissor class for Groom Team England.

I began my grooming career in 2014. My Salon Canine Creations is based in Waltham, Lincolnshire. Being severely dyslexic, I wanted to find a more “hands on” career and dog grooming stole my heart. My love for grooming has evolved into a passion and obsession.

I now competitively show the breed I adore, the Kerry Blue and have two of my own, Iva and Cormac! Learning to groom this breed has been a challenge and an absolute pleasure, it’s led me to where I am today. I’ve won BIS and multiple RBIS around the UK, also receiving high recognition in world class competition at Groomania in Belgium.

Being a reserve for Groom Team England is one of my biggest achievements to date and I’m beyond excited to see where the next couple of years takes us.

Jo Silk-Smith

Spaniel & Setter

Hi, I’m Jo Silk-Smith, and I represent the Spaniel and Setter class for GTE.

My career began in 2011 when I started helping in an independent salon with prep work. I quickly realised this was the career for me.

Growing up, I was surrounded by dogs, from my nan's Miniature Longhaired Dachshunds to my mum's German Shepherds and English Cocker Spaniels, shown by my mum and sometimes myself but it has always been grooming them that interested me the most!

Today, I own and operate my own grooming salon near Chester. I love being my own boss and working with a wide variety of breeds. However, my heart belongs to the English Cocker Spaniel. There’s nothing more rewarding than transforming their scruffy, unkempt coats into sleek, beautiful grooms. I'm constantly striving to be better and improve upon what I already know.

I share my life with three awesome dogs: a French Bulldog, a Standard Poodle, and, of course, an English Cocker Spaniel. While I occasionally show my Cocker at dog shows, my true passion lies in grooming and competing in grooming competitions.

As a member of Groom Team England from 2022–2024, I had the honour of competing at the World Championships, where our team placed 6th out of 23 countries. I am thrilled to be representing my country again and working alongside some of the most talented groomers in the world.

Whether I’m in the salon or at a competition, my goal is always the same: to bring out the very best in every dog I groom.

Hannah Bowles

Spaniel & Setter

I’m Hannah I’m reserve for the Spaniel and Setter category.

I’ve been grooming since I was 17 and have owned my business in Chelmsford Essex since I was 18, which has gone from strength to strength. I started in a double garage and now I have a big industrial unit with 5 staff!

I’ve competed with many different breeds from Wheatens, cross breed to Westies but found my love of Cocker Spaniels. I own 2 Cockers called Jaxson and Louis. Louis is old and retired now but I have taken Jaxson to Europe to compete too!

I look forward to where the future takes us both, I always try and better my self and try and continue my learning path!

Lisa Parker

Handstrip

Hi I'm Lisa Parker and I will be representing the Handstrip category for GTE. I am so incredibly excited for this opportunity.

I started my grooming journey at 16 as a bather and never looked back, I fell in love with looking after the dogs and seeing how happy clients were. I am City and Guilds qualified and have decided to take the ICMG journey also. I owned my own salon in Hertfordshire for several years before moving to Northamptonshire, where I now have my home salon.

This is also when I fell for the breed that would later become a huge part of my life and journey, the Miniature Schnauzer.

I have successful groomed and shown the breed, making up 3 Champions since 2021.

Coming back to grooming competitions was so much fun after a long break and I never dreamed I could be representing our team. Hard work and dedication pay off, listening to all the help and advice you can will really grow your journey and confidence.

I am looking forward to spending time growing further and the journey the next 2 years will bring with this fantastic team.

Mich Dale

Handstrip

Hi I'm Mich Dale and am the reserve representative for the Hand Strip with GTE.

I started showing 35 years ago and have had multiple champions worldwide with West Highland White Terriers (WHWT) , Kerry Blue Terriers, Welsh Terriers and Scottish Terriers.
I started professional grooming some 30 years ago running a successful small salon in the heart of the English countryside in Staffordshire.
My first grooming competition was Premier Groom in 2008 where I went on to win BIS (Best in Show) something that I repeated in 2010 in the Champion class and in 2017 at Premier Groom’s 10th anniversary.

I have also judged at Premier Groom , The British Dog Grooming Championships , IPDGA grooming competition in Ireland, & The Great British Groom Off and have given seminars in UK, Denmark & Japan passing on the skills and knowledge.

She was also a Semi-finalist on BBC’s Pooch Perfect, proving you are never to old to give new things a go !!

Lia Jayne Godding

Team Captain

Hi I'm Lia and I am proud to be the Captain for the 2023/2024 Team.

I have been grooming for over 16 years and am a Level 3 qualified , multi- award wining groomer. I had my own salon for 9 years but recently sold it to concentrate more on grooming work for TV, photo shoots etc, I absolutely love it! I've done some really cool shoots with big names such as Prada and Gucci with my own dogs being the superstar models.

I have a huge passion and creative mind for the industry and love to help groomers where I can.

I am very honoured that the Committee think so highly of me to give me this role.
I'll do my very best to help and support the team in every way I can. GO TEAM !!