On 2^nd March Hollybank turns ten years old!  A great deal has changed since we first opened the doors back in 2009.  As an independent practice we started from scratch and on that very first day we did not know if we would have any clients when opened the doors!  But we did! And many of the patients and clients we saw that very first week are still visiting us now.

We saw a few appointments that very first day and a few more the day after that.  From there, through word of mouth and trying our best to provide an excellent service for all, the practice has grown from strength to strength.

When we first opened our doors we had just four members of staff – and by the end of 2009 we were down to three.  This did mean long hours but we were determined the practice would be a success and by April 2010 we employed our first receptionists.  Now we have a reception/administration team of four, eight registered veterinary nurses and six vets!

We achieved our hospital status just seven months after we opened in October 2009 and have since been re-accredited twice, to ensure that meet the highest of standards the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons sets for first opinion practice.  We are also now a nurse training practice and our four nurse clinical coaches teach and train two student vet nurse students each year.

Since the very beginning we have done our own emergency and out of hours work and we are committed to making sure that is always the case.   We have now expanded our out of hours service to clients from some neighbouring practices too.

Not long after we opened we got our guinea pigs, Stacey and Nessa.  They toured around many schools, open days and cub packs and were loved by us all. Sadly they have both passed away now and we have two beautiful rose bushes to remember them by.  Our two new girls, Marmalade and Marmite, have carried on the tradition and can often be found in their fancy run enjoying the grass.

It has been our pleasure to look after our patients and their owners for the last ten years.  Richard and I could sit for hours reminiscing about the characters we have met along the way – the sad times, the happy times, the ‘I can’t believe he ate that’ times  and all those people and pets who have become part of our lives, some for just a short time and some for many years.  As the very first puppies and kittens we met as Hollybank vets now turn ten themselves, we realise we have cared for some pets for their whole lives.  To us, that is a privilege, the reason why we do this job and why Hollybank is Hollybank.   Here’s to the next ten years!