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PetPlan Veterinary Awards winners announced
More than 40,000 nominations were received from veterinary staff and clients.

Awards celebrate outstanding veterinary professionals.
 
The winners of the 2020 PetPlan veterinary awards have been announced.

Now in its 21st year, the PetPlan awards celebrate outstanding veterinary professionals, including vets, vet nurses, practices, practice managers and support staff.

This year's event was held virtually, with broadcaster and writer Gyles Brandreth acknowledging the finalists and announcing the deserving winners on Facebook.

Nearly 40,000 nominations were received from colleagues and clients, highlighting the incredible work that goes on in practices every day. The winners and finalists for each category are:

Practice of the Year
Wangford Vet Clinic, Suffolk – Winner

RW Equine Vets, Egmont Farm, Northiam
Cats Whiskers Veterinary Clinic, West Sussex.

Vet Nurse of the Year
Claire Shepherd, Parker And Crowther Ltd, Merseyside – Winner
Rachael Duxbury, PDSA Pet Hospital The Jean Marchig Centre, Liverpool
Samantha Lyons, Goddard Veterinary Group, Surrey.

Vet of the Year
Lindsay Henry, Kessock Equine Vets, Inverness-shire - Winner
Ben Pugh, Byron Veterinary Clinic, Nottinghamshire
Charlotte Hanson, Hanson Animal Doctor LTD, Nottingham.

Practice Manager of the Year

Martin McGovern, Fenaghy Veterinary Clinic, Ballymena – Winner
Andrew Booth, Droitwich Vets4Pets Ltd, Droitwich
Marian Hines, Manor Vet Clinic, Kent.

Practice Support Staff of the Year
Dawn Prime, Wherry Veterinary Group, Suffolk - Winner
Kirsty Bennett, Blacks Vets Ltd, West Midlands
Rebecca Grose, Medivet Impington, Cambridgeshire.

“This year we received over 37,000 nominations and it was great to see so many veterinary colleagues and pet owners coming together online to honour the exceptional work carried out by some of the best veterinary professionals in the countr," said James Barnes, head of sales and partnerships at Petplan.

“We hope everyone enjoyed the event and celebrated in style at home. Now more than ever it’s important to recognise the lengths the veterinary community goes to in looking after our pets and it felt particularly special this year to be able to say thank you to the veterinary profession at this difficult time. I would like to congratulate all of our deserving winners on their brilliant achievement.”

 

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.