Meet The Team

My love of animals started when I was very little with my first pet, Kim, the Labrador. My parents would often find me curled up next to her in her basket asleep. Growing up, I always wanted to be a vet, so I feel fortunate to be in a profession that I love.

The bond we have with our pets is special, they are part of our family and bring so much happiness to our homes. It’s a great feeling being able to nurture this bond by providing exceptional care for people’s pets. Understanding client’s wants and needs for their pet is always in the forefront of my mind and being there to help owners through the hard times as well as celebrating the good, is extremely important to me.

We are so excited about what we do at Chalkland Vets. We have a fantastic team of friendly staff providing Veterinary care to the highest standard. We aim to build trust and make lasting relationships with our clients and their pets.
We also understand that bringing your pet to the Vets can sometimes be stressful, especially when they are poorly, so we will make every effort to alleviate this stress as much as possible.

Outside vet work we have a busy home with my cat-loving son Jacob. We share our home with a sassy long-haired Chihuahua called Schmo! Whoever coined the phrase “Good things come in small packages” was spot-on!

My dad was a vet and I was lucky enough to grow up on a farm, so animals have always been a huge part of my life. As I child I was constantly surrounded by cuddly toys or cuddly animals! I had a room full of guineas, rabbits and hamsters, as many as my parents would allow! I was totally single-minded about becoming a vet from a very young age and sheer determination got me there.

I enjoy all aspects of my job, bonding with clients and their pets, being part of their journey in sickness and in health. It’s a privilege and gives me a huge sense of reward. I take pride in having high standards and work hard to continually develop my skills.

Opening Chalkland vets has been a lifelong ambition and I feel extremely proud of what we have created and what we stand for. We are focused on making you and your pets feel as comfortable as possible. We have a fantastic team that share our vision and are dedicated to providing exceptional service and the highest standard of care.

Apart from being a vet, I am a wife to Matthew, and a Mum to Noah, Phoebe and Oscar. We share our hectic home with our much-loved pets, Huxley and Hippo our Labradors and our two beautiful Burmese cats, Lego and Duplo. When not wanting to go to school in the morning Noah says to me ‘It’s all right for you Mummy, you just have to go to work and cuddle animals!’ Well not quite… but he’s right about one thing I am very lucky to do this job and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2023. Having grown up in Carmarthenshire, West Wales, I have always had close contact and fascination for animals. I currently find myself being a loyal poo picker for my big lovable lump called Yuki (aka Yukisaurus Wigglebutt Rex). We love nothing more than going on adventures together!

I wanted to be a vet ever since I can remember.

I was blessed to be able to make my dream come true when I graduated from Utrecht University in 2003.

After a short stint working in Mozambique, I moved to England with my husband and never left… from Norfolk to Suffolk to Wiltshire…

I love all aspects of veterinary medicine, but the emergency case in all its presentations somehow holds my special interest.

At home I have a 9-year-old collie-cross from the Pound in South Wales and a 3-year-old black cat, found as a 5-month-old under a Kebab-Van in Trowbridge… she prefers to eat all things unhealthy (bread, chips, crisps, biscuits!)

Ida is both Norwegian and British (dual citizen). She graduated from Bristol University in 1995. She has been specialising in Veterinary Ophthalmology since 1997 and achieved the Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology from the Royal college of Veterinary surgeons (RCVS) in 2001. She is an Advanced practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology. “I have worked with Selina and Philly for about 17 years and am delighted to now being able to provide a more regular ophthalmology service to Chalkland vets and their beloved clients and pets”.

Ida has had a passion for Ophthalmology since graduating and has served on the Committee of the British Association of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (BrAVO) for 15 years, including both chair and senior vice-chair for 3 years respectively.

Ida can do most types of ophthalmic surgery and has been an intraocular and cataract surgeon since 2011. She has most recently been head of the Ophthalmology department in a large multi-disciplinary Veterinary Hospital before going back to working more out of independent practices. She enjoys teaching and has visited many veterinary practices to help improve  general knowledge of her subject amongst primary care vets.

Ida is happy to see all types of ophthalmology cases, including cataract cases, though currently they will be assessed for suitability and surgery will be directed to herself or colleagues in another hospital due to the high level of technical equipment and follow up required. Post-operative care can mostly be done at Chalklands.

In her spare time, she is a very active person and loves spending time outdoors keeping fit through hiking, tennis, swimming and yoga. She seeks out coastal water or snow when time allows. She loves travelling, but is equally happy pottering in her garden. She has two grown up children, a gorgeous Vizsla, a rescue cat, two ducks and chickens!

I have always loved animals. I grew up riding horses and dreaming of a James Herriot lifestyle!

I graduated from the Royal veterinary college in 1998 and have spent my career in mixed practice treating a wide variety of species.

I have recently decided to hang up the wellies and retire the long armed gloves so I can concentrate on the small animal side of veterinary practice. I relish the challenge that Chalklands will bring to my career.

Outside of work, I am a keen horse racing enthusiast and love spending time with my wife and daughters and our menagerie of cats, chickens and fish!

Nick Thompson is a holistic vet and raw feeding expert who runs a clinic from Chalkland Vets once a month. Please see his website for more information www.holisticvet.co.uk. To make an appointment with Nick please nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk

Having set my heart on becoming a vet at the age of 8 I feel very lucky to be working in my dream-job! I graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2004 and have since enjoyed a varied career treating pets and farm animals in Cornwall, Shropshire, Surrey and Somerset, as well as spending 18 months teaching Veterinary technicians in Ghana and gaining a diploma in International Animal Health.

I settled in Bath in 2018 with my husband, 3 children and our guinea pigs, Mrs Plum and Lily. I am very excited to join the Chalkland team and enjoy all aspects of being a ‘GP’ vet. I have a real soft spot for the ‘golden oldies’ and love helping owners to keep their pets happy and healthy as they age.

Outside of work I enjoy being outdoors and travelling around the UK and Europe in our motorhome.

We are delighted to introduce Dr Jose Fernandez Pascual, to our clients who is joining the Chalkland Team this month. Jose is an advanced surgical practitioner and also has a special interest in exotics (scaled, feathered and small furrys!) Here is a bit about him:

‘I was born and raised in Murcia, Spain, but have now lived in the UK for 12 years. I have done three internships: one in exotics (Bairbre O’Malley Hospital, Bray, Ireland), a rotational one (Vale Referrals, Dursley, UK) and one in Orthopaedics and neurosurgery (Fitzpatrick Referrals, Eashing, UK). I become a Certificate holder in Small Animal Surgery in 2018 and got the Postgraduate in 2019. I very proudly became an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery in 2022.

I now have 12 years of experience working in first opinion and referral practice for Exotics, Soft tissue surgery, Orthopaedic surgery and Neurosurgery in the UK, Ireland and the middle east. I have a special interest in small mammals and reptiles, orthopaedic surgery, oncologic surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

I am very excited about joining the Chalkland team and share the same ethos as Selina and Philly. My passion is to provide gold standard patient and client care, my patients and their well-being is at the forefront of everything I do. I am looking forward to putting routes down in beautiful rural Wiltshire and finally being able to have pets of my own again.

I am from a village called Killea in county Tipperary which is in the Republic of Ireland. I moved here in 2008 to go to uni at Hartpury college. I qualified in 2012 with a hons (BSc) degree in veterinary nursing. I have a handsome pony called Reuben and an adorable little dog called Stewie (seen here). I love being in theatre and anaesthesia is my favourite part of nursing. I love meeting clients and their pets too, especially sweet little terriers!

(Registered Veterinary Nurse)

Head Veterinary Nurse

I’ve always been fond of animals since a very young child. I could be found dressing up our border collie and sheltie cross in my summer dresses to have make-believe tea parties!
We always had lots of animals ranging from small budgies and hamsters, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and of course dogs.

From the age of 8/9 I wanted to follow in my sister’s footsteps and be a canine beautician to which I did and ran a small local business in Allington. Due to health issues I sadly had to close. I went on to office work, eventually specialising in Human Resources and Health & Safety. This wasn’t fulfilling my needs so I looked into a career change. Vet nursing!

I volunteered 2 days a week at my own animals’ veterinary practice to help me gain the animal nursing assistant qualification and the practice kindly employed me and supported me through the nursing diploma. I qualified in 2017 and have never looked back since.

I love nursing animals back to health and I am very much interested in behaviours. I’ve been known as the ‘lion tamer’ with fractious cats and want to help people succeed with their puppies through helping guide them in their training.

I treat every animal as I expect mine to be treated. With love and care.

I have a fiancé, Leigh at home of 18 years and he helps me to look after our menagerie of animals. 4 fluffy rag doll cross cats, which I bred, 2 tortoises, budgie, Rex rabbit, pond fish and not forgetting my gorgeous border collie Skye. I very much enjoy working her in agility and hope to one day compete and win competitions.

I am a very experienced and highly skilled Veterinary Nurse who gives total dedication to the patient in front of me. I also have a fear free approach to patient handling and get a great sense of reward from forming relationships with clients and patients. I am dedicated to inpatient care, and am looking forward to developing my low stress handling techniques with the team at Chalkland. Outside of work I’m either in wellies with my four dogs, or in the kitchen creating a new veggie master piece!

I love keeping fit and enjoy yoga, running with my dog Geoff, and a good gym blow out. When not keeping fit I like to relax in the pub with my partner Roger, or cuddling up with Stuart Little our Ragoll cat.

I have been lucky enough for animals to always be part of my life. It started with my grandma who inspired the idea of being a Veterinary Nurse. I grew up with her always rescuing various animals from injured hedgehogs to stray cats. I currently have 4 furry pals: 2 rescue farm cats Maisy and Alfie (siblings), an excitable but very lovable rescue German Shepherd/ Husky Barney and my beautiful horse Bea. So, we have quite a busy household, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!

I did work experience at chalklands for about a year before I officially joined the chalkland team in November 2020 as a Trainee Veterinary Nurse. I am so grateful to be part of such a wonderful supportive team.

I live in Lacock with my mum and my sister. When not at work I am out on a long dog walk or out exploring with Bea. I also like baking (when I get the chance!)

I hope to meet you and your furry pals soon!’

My nursing journey began in 2019 and I have since never looked back! I have always had a keen passion for animals and science, and so I decided to combine my two interests into my dream job. At home, I have a gorgeous little Patterdale X named Arlie, whom was my inspiration to begin nursing. I have a particular interest in canine behaviour and am proud to be working within a fear free practice.
I love all kinds of four legged friends (especially the ones with 3 legs) and have a particular soft spot for any kind of ginger/red haired pets; the quirkier the better! I look forward to meeting yourself and your little fur babies here at Chalkland Vets!

I have always had a love for animals. I grew up with family pets and loved their company; they are indeed pure of heart.
I’ve worked with animals for many years, from animal sanctuary work to becoming a veterinary nurse and dog walking. I’ve worked overseas and was a locum here in the UK. I have had some great experiences, and my passion for animal welfare grew even more along the way.
From 2017 – 2021 I took a break from nursing but am very happy to be back in practice working as an Animal Care Assistant.
My husband and I have two cats Momo and Maggie; Momo travelled from Spain many years ago but has never acclimatised to the weather; she only brought her summer coat! Maggie is from London, so she’s accustomed and has a pretty robust physique :).

I qualified as a Chartered physiotherapist in 2012 and have since undergone further training to specialise in veterinary physiotherapy. I am a member of ACPAT who are the only professional body to accredit combined human and veterinary physiotherapists. I have experience working with a variety of conditions including arthritis, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, post operative procedures and maintenance of sporting dogs. I use a variety of treatment techniques including manual therapy, laser and exercises and all treatments are tailored to the needs of each individual patient. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, including Barney the black Labrador and Henry the horse.

My behaviour and training journey started during my veterinary nursing career. I loved being a vet nurse and had 27 long and happy years in the veterinary profession. During that time, I realised that so many people were struggling to get good, up to date and ethical advice to help their pets with emotional struggles. I decided to study further and passed my Level 3 Diploma in behaviour through COAPE back in 2005. My career path diverted back into nursing and practice ownership/management for a number of years, but I always knew that behaviour work was where my passion lay. After passing my level 4 and Level 5 Companion Animal and Training certificate through COAPE in 2016, I decided to go full time and set up my own business.  I have experience in all kinds of cases from general anxiety to dog-dog reactivity issues. My vet nursing background along with my Dynamic Dog Practitioner status mean I am able to offer expertise in many different areas of health, mobility and behaviour.

It’s fair to say I am animal mad and have two horses, four cats and a chicken plus my two sidekicks, Jake and Riley who are working cocker spaniels. They play a very important role in helping me with specific cases, whether it be socialising with a young puppy or helping me with dog -dog reactive cases. I am a certified animal behaviourist and trainer through COAPE https://coape.org/about-us/about/  , as well as a member of the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter (https://www.dogcharter.uk)  and a member of ICAN https://internationalcompanionanimalnetwork.org

https://www.fundog.training/

I’ve always loved being around animals. My auntie is a crazy horse lady so put me on one as soon as she possibly could.

We currently have 6 horses, an equal divide of gorgeous retired rescues, one being my 30 year old pony club Shetland called Tina who was my first pony. We also have Vinnie, Petra and Crackers. My sister and I also both have 5 year old cobs, they’re named Loki and Stitch, who we are currently bringing on and having lots of fun with.

I’ve also always had family dogs (Freddie, Roly and Lola) who I loved growing up with and have had hamsters (Borris and Buster) and a rabbit (Toffee) in the past.

I previously worked as a lifeguard and sports coach in primary schools before realising my passion for animals was much stronger.

I enjoy being part of such a lovely team and providing the best care for all your furry friends.

My end goal is to become more clinical and become a veterinary nurse.

I have worked as a veterinary receptionist for 7 years, coming to work at Chalkland vets in 2024. I love meeting all the clients and their pets as well as working alongside our vets and nurses to give the best care. I enjoy spending time with my family and taking our Labrador Conan on long walks.

I moved from Pembrokeshire to Chippenham in 2002. I am married to Mike and have four grown up children and one granddaughter. I’ve always had Siamese cats, 12 so far!!
I live with Sunnie, a Retriever, Maisie, a 7 month old Miniature Dachshund, Jasmine, a Siamese, and Sebbi, a ginger moggy. Oh, and a very old Tortoise. When not behind reception I will be walking the dogs, reading and dining out. Summer is my favourite time of the year.

Ever since I was young I have been drawn to caring for animals. I was also lucky enough to grow up with a family friend who was a Vet so when I was old enough, I would accompany them to the practice, helping on reception and being an extra pair of hands!

At 18 I strongly considered a career in vet nursing but alongside my passion for animals I also had a love for music and after being awarded a scholarship, I made the difficult decision to study music at university.

I enjoyed a long career in music but the call of working with animals never left me, so in 2018 I decided to embark on a career change and keep music as a hobby.

I am a veterinary receptionist as well as a veterinary care assistant, assisting nurses with their duties. I am thrilled be part of the team at Chalklands and am passionate about delivering the best customer service I can whilst furthering my animal care knowledge. I enjoy getting to know clients and being a friendly voice on the end of the phone! My future ambition is to eventually become an RVN.

Outside of work I am the proud owner of Hudson (an 8.6kg maine coon cat!) and Holly a rescued, red setter X. I also love to bake and ‘hike it off’ around the beautiful Wiltshire countryside with my husband Chris.

After a career in recruitment and HR, I joined the Chalklands team as a Veterinary Receptionist.

Outside of work I love walking my spaniel Luna across the fields with my husband, baking and pottering in the garden with my ducks and chickens.

I love building relationships with clients and their wonderful pets.

In my spare time I love travelling the world with my husband Craig, spending time outdoors with my Labrador Bud, and getting stuck into a good book!

I am so excited to be a part of the Chalklands team. I have always had a love and passion for animals, having grown up with dogs in the family and helping out with the animals on our friend’s farm. My husband and I now have two crazy boys of our own, a Springer Spaniel and a Sprollie who keep me busy for sure! When they’re finally tired out, I love spending time with my friends and family, or cozying up on the sofa with a good book and bar of chocolate!

I am so happy to have joined the team at Chalkland Vets. After many years working as a secondary school art teacher I retired from teaching to pursue my passion which is making and selling my own art work. Alongside this I have worked in the care industry and this has led me perfectly into working as part of the receptionist team at Chalkland Vets. I love meeting clients and their gorgeous pets. I have always loved, and owned, animals and my husband and I currently have 3 beautiful little dogs and 1 very grumpy cat. In our spare time my husband and I love to get away in our motorhome with the dogs exploring the country.

My first job in veterinary practice started off part time to support my studies as a law student at the University of Bristol. I was fortunate enough to work in a first opinion and referral hospital undertaking front of house and administrative duties.

After finishing my studies it was clear that I preferred working among fur and feathers rather than legal jargon so I decided to make the move to working full time in the veterinary industry.

After a short time spend in sunny Southampton I moved back to my home town of Bristol to take up the position of Practice Administrator at Chalkland Vets.

I enjoy working with the amazing team at Chalklands and meeting all the wonderful clients and pets as well.