GROOMER Alison Rogers is officially a cut above the rest.

The 32-year-old, from Waterloo, beat off stiff competition at the weekend to be named Groomer of the Year at the British Dogs Grooming Championships.

The event, which is the Oscar equivalent for the dog grooming industry, attracted entries from some of the finest groomers in the country, but it was Alison who pawed her way to the top with her superb skills.

As well as bagging the top prize, Alison also won the handstripped and clipped gundogs class with springer spaniel Bertie and came second in the standard poodle class with Marshall, a black standard poodle, at the competition held in Leeds.

Alison, who owns the Pretty Paws grooming salon and training centre at Thongsbridge, travels around the world entering competitions and giving seminars on grooming.

She won the Professional Groomers Championship in 2003 and 2004, and the Oster International Invitational Tournament of Champions in New York and Las Vegas.

Despite competing in some world-class contests, for Alison, her win at the British Dogs Grooming Championships, is her greatest achievement to date, as it holds a real significance for her.

She said: “It was 10 years to the day since I started entering grooming competitions and this particular competition was the first I ever entered, so to have won on such a significant anniversary makes it even more special to me – it’s something I’d wanted to achieve for a long time.

“I was runner-up in 2000 but I have never won the competition before, so it’s a massive achievement to have finally won !

“I don’t think the result has finally sunk in yet. My only regret is that mum Carol wasn’t there, I lost her in April last year. I never let her come to any of my grooming competitions because she made me feel too nervous. So I’m sad that she couldn’t see me win it.

“But all my grooming friends and my boyfriend John were there to support me and I don’t think that I would have been able to achieve what I did without them.”

Competitors have to cut and groom their dogs before the judges, who score on how the groomers handle their dogs, how they use their scissors and clippers and the finish and shape of the coat.

Alison had another reason to celebrate after this year’s contest as two of her former students also won top prizes. Michele Pickard and Julia Ennerson, who now works as manageress for Pretty Paws, were placed first and runner-up in the Newcomer of the Year.

Alison said: “I’m really proud of both of them.”