Pet Blood Bank
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Freda qualified from the Royal (Dick) in Edinburgh in 1979. Despite her best intentions to go straight into practice, she was persuaded to study for a PhD in canine cardiology and then went on to work for eight years in Glasgow in a mixed, mainly small animal practice.
While completing her PhD, she married David, a dairy farmer at the south end of Loch Lomond. During her first two years in practice, Freda combined veterinary work with building a house on the farm.
Following a career break to have children David and Ginny, she kept her hand in as a regular locum with the PDSA in Glasgow. in 1994 she began teaching student veterinary nurses at Edinburgh's Telford College and over thos five years enjoyed some of the most satisfying times of her career, teaching anaesthesia, cardiology, reproduction and urogenital medicine.
For the past seven years, Freda has read ECGs derived from studies into new pharmaceutical compounds with a view to detecting ECG abnormalities tht could be a problem in their clinical use in humans.
Currently her clinical work is confined to looking after the organic farm herd of Ayrshires, Friesians and Limousin crosses along wit the farm collies, a couple of cats and various rats and hamsters.
Freda was President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association 2003-2004 and President of the British Veterinary Association 2005-2006.
John qualified from Trinity College in Dublin in 1975. After spending four years in large animal and mixed practices in Northern Ireland and Lancashire, John bought a predominantly large animal practice in Crumlin, Co. Antrim in 1979. The practice now has three surgeries with six vets working mainly in companion animal practice.
John has also held the following posts:
President of the Association of Veterinary Surgeons Practising in Northern Ireland (1993)
President of the North of Ireland Veterinary Association (2004)
Chairman of the Northern Ireland Veterinary Education Trus (1996 - present)
Board member of Veterinary Northern Ireland (2005 - present)
President of the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (2007)
Wendy qualified as a veterinary nurse in December 1992. She started in mixed animal practice in Cornwall before spending two years locuming in the UK. In 1996 she took a head nurse position in Sussex to pursue a Diploma in Advance Veterinary Nursing (Surgical) which she gained in March 1999.
In 2000, Wendy moved into the emergency and critical care field, eventually taking a position as clinical manager with Vets Now at their Bristol clinic. Wendy used her time off from the emergency shifts to train as a human phlebotomist for the National Health Service. this phlebotomy interest led to Wendy being given the post of Pet Blood Bank researcher for Vets Now in January 2006. The research has taken Wendy far and wide from the USA to Australia. Vets Now agreed to raise the funds to support the UK's first pet blood bank charity on completion of the research programme. Wendy currently resides as a trustee and is the authorisation holder of the VMD licence for Pet Blood Bank UK.
Colin is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and has over the last twenty five years held a number of general and financial manangement positions within a variety of high growth companies in Scotland.
Colin currently runs his own corporate finance business and holds a number of non-executive positions with companies across a variety of industry sectors.
Chris Laurence qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Bristol University in 1968 and went into mixed practice in Somerset. A year later he moved to Chippenham in Wiltshire to take up purely small animal practice at the Hale Veterinary Group. He became a partner in the practice in 1972 and the practice achieved Veterinary Hospital status in 1990.
Chris left the practice in 1998 to take up the post of Assistant Chief Veterinary Officer at the RSPCA. He was promoted to Chief Veterinary Officer in 1999 and dealt with all veterinary issues for the Society. In 2003 Chris moved to take up the post of Veterinary Director of Dogs Trust where he was involved in their work both nationally and internationally. He played a significant part in the work to produce the Animal Welfare Act and was awarded the MBE in 2007. He retired in August 2011.
Chris has been active in veterinary politics since the 1970s and has been Chairman of Southern Region BSAVA, President of BVHA, Treasurer of the Links Group, and on the Veterinary Policy Group of BVA. Chris is currently a Director of FAB, Senior Vice President of the Central Veterinary Society, and a Trustee of the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation. He is also a member of the Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding.
Chris is also involved in a number of other charities. He is an elected Trustee of the national RSPCA, Chairman of the Oxfordshire Yeomanry Trust and a Director of the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust Ltd.
Chris also had a lengthy career in the Territorial Army, retiring with the rank of Colonel in 2002. He was awarded the Queen's Volunteer Reserves Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2002.
Chris has been married to Sheila since 1969 and has two children and four grandchildren. He has a dog and a cat - Maggie and Prudence.
Harvey graduated from Liverpool University in 1969 and has been in full time clinical practice ever since.
After spending the first 3 years after graduating in mixed farm practice in Staffordshire he became the founding partner of Woodcroft Veterinary Group, which is now a 20 vet small animal hospital practice in Cheshire offering first opinion, referral and emergency clinic services.
Harvey has been actively and continuously involved in veterinary politics for over 25 years. He is a past president of BSAVA and has served on numerous BVA and RCVS committees.
He is also a past vice president of the Union of European Veterinary Practitioners and was President of the British Veterinary Association in 2010-2011.
Harvey is married to Margaret and has two daughters Rachel and Helen. Helen has followed her father into the veterinary profession and now works at Woodcroft Veterinary Group.
In his spare time Harvey enjoys hill walking, gardening and off shore sailing.