It was with great sadness that the Branch heard of the death of Judy Howorth in December 2012.

Judy had been a long-time member and had served on the South East Branch committee for some years. To recognise this service she was awarded Honorary membership at Fun Day in 2008 (see right).

She and husband Roger loved Basset Hounds - at one time owning five.

She was a lovely, kind lady with a very obvious love of life.

Judy bravely fought her final illness, even coming to The White Horse, in Ditchling to meet everyone attending the Branch Christmas Lunch, only a few days before her passing. Sadly, she was too unwell to stay for the meal, but it was really lovely to see her.

Several of us represented the Branch at her very moving funeral at Worthing in the New Year. She will be a tremendous loss to all her friends and the breed. All our thoughts go out to Roger, whom we hope to see at some of our future events.

Mr Roger Howorth writes: May I take this opportunity to express my thanks to all members of the South East Branch BHC who attended the Judy’s funeral in January this year.

It was very gratifying and extremely moving to see so many people at the Humanist service. Together with club members, relations and friends from our thirty plus years spent together. There were over one hundred people there to pay respects and around sixty, or so, afterwards went back to Findon Manor Hotel where I managed to have a quick word with most of them.

Judy had two Basset Hounds when we first met and I quickly came to understand why she loved them so much. We bred two litters and the new owners of the pups all became good friends, with whom Judy regularly kept in touch and sent cards to each dog on their birthdays.

We kept one puppy from the first litter, Daisy, and when she had her litter we ended up keeping two of them, Spider and Rosie. This took us up to five hounds and I think the whole of Shoreham knew Judy as ‘the Basset lady with her own pack’.

When Spider died we decided that enough was enough and we were going to have a break. We then heard that Trudy Allen was moving to a new job in the Philippines and was looking for a home for Mollie. We said we would take her and thought that she would be with us in a couple of months, but Trudy had various delays in selling her house and didn’t leave for quite a long time.

In November 2010, Judy was getting withdrawal pains at being dogless and I went on the internet just to see what was around. The result of which was we drove down to Kent and came back with Speckles.

A couple of months, or so, later Trudy went to her new job and Mollie moved in with us.

Up to two weeks before Judy went into hospital for the last time she was still walking the two dogs up on the Downs and in Buckingham Park, twice a day, and went on six Branch walks with them both in 2012.

After Judy’s passing, my health was such that breathing problems meant that I was unable to keep them and give them the exercise they needed. So, I am grateful to Sue Sampson for agreeing to take Speckles on the last walk in 2012 and pass her over to her new owners.

It means so much to know that she is with club members, and with Harry who she knew from previous walks and is just two weeks younger than she is.

Mollie was harder to re-home due to her age and little quirks (like not liking Westies or people in Day-Glo, hi-viz jackets) and I kept her, managing to walk her in the park when I could, until Sue again came to the rescue and found her a home with a lady in Kent.

Letting them go was the hardest thing I had to do, and I miss them both, but I know that Judy would have been the fist to say that it was the right thing to do.

One final note, it was Judy’s wish that there would only be family flowers at her funeral and it was arranged that any donations would benefit St Barnabas Hospice and Northbourne Medical Centre.

St Barnabas received £285 and Northbourne £140.

Thank you all so much.