Farnham Veterinary Group’s 24-hour hospital has marked its fifth birthday by celebrating team members who have dedicated more than 10 years to caring for pets.

Farnham Veterinary Hospital held a special ceremony to honour 16 vets, veterinary nurses and support team members who have worked in the veterinary industry for more than 10 years. Collectively, they have 312 years of experience between them.

Farnham Veterinary Hospital in East Street opened in April 2021 to offer 24-hour care for local pets. Alongside the team’s experience and dedication to client and patient care, the hospital benefits from high-tech equipment to treat sick and injured pets and diagnose health issues.

Facilities include three operating theatres, digital X-ray and dental X-ray machines, a CT scanner, ultrasound equipment, an in-house laboratory and a hydrotherapy treadmill.

It is part of VetPartners, a group led by veterinary professionals which owns veterinary practices and animal healthcare businesses across the UK and Europe.

The team members with the longest careers in the veterinary industry are practice manager Heather Carter, who has worked in the sector for 35 years, and veterinary nurses Kylie Cotton and Helen Stewart, who each have 27 years of experience.

Kylie said she was delighted to receive a medal and had loved every minute of her career as a veterinary nurse.

Kylie, who completed her veterinary nursing training at Farnborough College of Technology and progressed to become head nurse at Farnham Veterinary Hospital, said: “The thing I love most about my job is preventative healthcare and helping clients keep their pets healthy for as long as possible.

“Being a veterinary nurse is such a rewarding career and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.”

Helen, who works alongside Kylie as a veterinary nurse and clinical coach, said: “I enjoy my job so much and wouldn’t want to do anything else. I love seeing our clients and their pets, and Farnham Veterinary Hospital is such a lovely team to be part of.”

Farnham Veterinary Hospital clinical director Antonia Nichols, who has been a vet for 19 years, added: “We’re very proud that the hospital has been providing the very best care to local pets for five years and, to mark the hospital’s birthday, we thought it would be a great idea to highlight our amazing team members and their dedication to animals.

“I’m so very proud of our team and it’s amazing that we have such depth of knowledge and experience at the hospital. It’s a privilege to work alongside people who truly love what they do and want to do the very best for our clients’ pets.

“I also want to thank our clinical nursing manager Alison Ruse for organising the presentation ceremony.”

Farnham Veterinary Hospital is part of Farnham Veterinary Group, which also has branch surgeries in Ash Vale and Farncombe.