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BVNA welcomes Fiona Andrew as new president
Fiona Andrew
Fiona Andrew
Final day of congress sees emotional farewell to Kirstie Shield

Fiona Andrew has become the new president of the BVNA. The handover took place during the BVNA's Annual General Meeting on the final day of the BVNA Congress in Telford.

Fiona describes herself as 'rather unconventional',  given that her first career was not in veterinary nursing. In 2001, Fiona decided to follow her heart and left a job in insurance to enrol on an animal care course. She then went on to study veterinary nursing in Edinburgh and was soon offered full time training at a local practice.

In her first speech as president, Fiona said: "What this [presidency] gives me is a fantastic opportunity to observe the different type of practices - their set up their priorities, their marketing.

"What I find is that really successful client focus and clean practices always have a fantastic, dedicated team of veterinary nurses who believe passionately in caring for their patients and providing the best possible information and advice for their clients."

During her time in presidency, Fiona will continue to work towards the protection of the title of the veterinary nurse and will be raising awareness of the issue of stress and mental illness in the profession.  She also hopes to better represent the student body, and aims to introduce two new seats on the BVNA council for student members.

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Free event for the global unowned cat community

News Story 1
 International Cat Care (ICatCare) has announced a free, virtual event dedicated to caring for unowned cats to explore new ideas and ways of working.

iCatConnect 2025 takes place on Wednesday, 12 November, and is open to everyone working and volunteering with unowned cats. It will include a line-up of 12 international cat welfare experts, who will consider the bigger picture of unowned cats and explore practical, effective, and inclusive solutions.

Following the session, attendees can put their questions to the experts and share their views. They will also hear frontline challenges and real-world case studies shared by contributors working in shelters, TNR, community cat programmes, and veterinary teams from around the world. 

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News Shorts
Bluetongue reaches Wales for first time in 2025

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has revealed that bluetongue has been confirmed in Wales for the first time in 2025.

In their latest statistics, APHA records a total of 109 cases of BTV-3 or BTV-8 in Great Britain in the 2025-2026 vector season.

The total number of BTV-3 cases in Great Britain this season is 107. This includes 103 cases within the England restricted zone and four cases in Wales.

There has also been two cases of BTV-8, which were both in Cornwall.

As a result of the cases in Wales, a Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) is enforced in Monmouthshire. Animals can move freely under general license within the England Restricted Zone, however animals with suspected bluetongue must stay on their holding.

All premises testing positive for blue tongue can be viewed on this map.