Ceva Animal Welfare Award 2015 Chris Laurence Vet of the Year is GSPCA President John Knight

We are blessed with many volunteers and committed individuals that help across the Bailiwick of Guernsey in animal welfare and it is wonderful that Guernsey was on the stage at the awards on Wednesday.

The categories for the Ceva Awards for Animal Welfare were -

• Chris Laurence Vet of the Year Award (in association with The Veterinary Times) This award is to recognise a veterinary surgeon working in practice that follows the footsteps of Chris by educating pet owners and consistently demonstrating their commitment to the continued improvement of animal welfare.
• VN Times Welfare Nurse of the Year Award (in association with Vet Nursing Times) This award is to give recognition to a veterinary nurse working in practice who has shown real commitment to improving and championing excellent animal welfare within their practice.
• Charity Professional of the Year Award (in association with PDSA) This award is for an individual who works within a charity organisation who is consistently driven to perform to the best of their ability, with the single minded goal of helping save and improve the lives of animals in need.
• Charity of the Year Award (in association with Your Dog and Your Cat magazines) This award is for an awe inspiring team whose drive and passionate dedication has changed the lives of animals for the better. Improving the standard of animal welfare wherever they can, tirelessly promoting and championing their cause.
• Volunteer of the Year Award (in association with Blue Cross) This award is for someone who, through their amazing dedication and tenacity has helped improve animal welfare and who in their own free time goes above and beyond the call of duty to improve the lives of animals either in the UK or internationally.
• Farm Animal Welfare of the Year Award (in association with NADIS and RABI) This award is for someone who works within the farming industry, and who strives to provide or encourage high standards of ethical and compassionate farm animal welfare. We want to award someone who has made a tangible difference to the welfare of farm animals through direct action or through education awareness.
• International Cat Welfare of the Year Award (in association with International Cat Care) This award is for someone working internationally and not in paid employment by a charity. We are looking for someone who has provided voluntary help with a feline welfare project and in so-doing have contributed towards making sustainable local changes.

John Knight BVetMed, MRCVS not only was a finalist for the Chris Laurence Vet of the Year Award (in association with The Veterinary Times) but is this years winner and all of the GSPCA team are very proud of him.

John spent much of his childhood in Central Africa and qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in London. After a short time in general practice he took up employment with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) as veterinary officer for Regent's Park. During this time he worked with WWF in China and on a consultancy basis worldwide. He was seconded to the Middle East to set up a new National Zoo and then to establish a major wildlife research centre.

In 1988 he joined Alistair MacRae in a mixed practice and settled in Guernsey, and in 1989 became a partner.  In addition to enjoying a full life in general practice John continues his consultancy work, and works closely with many animal welfare organisations around the world. He has been a director of AISPA for over 25 years and is our President here at the GSPCA. 

John has been associated with the Born Free Foundation for over 15 years as their Senior Veterinary Consultant and and has helped many animals including the two lion cubs Sarnia and Maria that were rescued from Romania in 2008 which were cared for at the GSPCA before they headed to the Born Free sanctuary at Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa.

As well as being on the committee at the GSPCA and helping work on our biggest rebuild in 142 years, John has helped rescue and care for many animals with the GSPCA like Fortune the dolphin last January and the 4 seal pups we have had in the last two years.

Yvonne Chauvel Senior Animal Care Assistant was a finalist for the Charity Professional of the Year Award (in association with PDSA) and although we saw a lovely video on the night of the wonderful work she carries out every day and we are all very proud of her the winner of the award was Melissa Liszewski from The Brooke, an international equine welfare organisation operating in 11 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America..

Yvonne has worked for nearly 20 years at the GSPCA and she is always the first person in and often the last to go. She has a heart of gold and cares for a department which is hugely varied and has both domestic and wild animals in several areas around the site.  From chickens to seals, gulls to hamsters, ferrets to parrots, pigeons to rabbits, guinea pigs to tortoise, snakes to budgies Yvonne has a huge amount of animals to care for and does so with a wonderful professional and caring manner.

As well as supervising the animal care team Yvonne also cares for the hundreds of volunteers that come through our doors every year. On our website you can see the many stories that she has been involved with from seal rescues to oiled birds, helping the Voluntourists to green turtles.

Yvonne is often on the front line at the Shelter dealing with many happy times such as rehoming and reuniting owners with stray animals at the Shelter, but often has the sad job of informing pet owners of their animals such cats that may have been run over and although this is never an easy job, Yvonne manages to do it in a caring and compassionate way.

Yvonne cares for the many work experience and Duke of Edinburgh we have through the Shelter and she always finds them a place and something to do at the GSPCA.

You can see more stories with Yvonne by going to - http://www.gspca.org.gg/search/node/yvonne

At the GSPCA were are all very proud of both Yvonne and John as part of the team and helping animals in Guernsey.  Both were very surprised when they received a call a few weeks ago to say that they had been shortlisted as finalists.  Last month both were filmed for a short VT which was shown on the night and both had a lovely evening at the awards thanks to Ceva and the team.

Yvonne Chauvel Senior Animal Care Assistant said "It was a lovely evening at the Ceva Awards on Wednesday and it was wonderful to be invited."

"All of the nominees were fantastic and it was a great event to be part of."

John Knight BVetMed, MRCVS, GSPCA President and local vet was extremely surprised when they called out his name on the night and we will hear more from John very soon.

Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "The Ceva Animal Welfare Awards are a wonderful way in celebrating and recognising the wonderful animal welfare work that goes on every day and we are extremely proud of our President John Knight and staff member Yvonne Chauvel who were recognised for their work here in Guernsey."

"The awards evening was held in Birmingham on Wednesday which is during the BSAVA Congress and we are all very proud of John Knight our President at the GSPCA who won the  Chris Laurence Vet of the Year Ceva Award for Animal Welfare."

"John helps so many animals and charities and the work he does both here in Guernsey and abroad is truly amazing."

"We are very proud of Yvonne also for being short listed from the thousands of nominations and it shows how lucky we are in Guernsey to have such fantastic people helping care for our animals."

"We use and sell a variety of products from Ceva to help the animals in our care and if anyone is interested in finding out more then please pop into our shop area or call 01481 257261."

"It is a massive year for us here at the GSPCA with our rebuild of 5 ageing buildings and to have members of the team recognised on such a wonderful stage show cases the wonderful work we carry out every day."

"From donating a little to becoming a Build Partner we are appealing for support towards the new multi purpose welfare building and later this week we are hosting a Topping Out Ceremony as we have finished the roof and much of the outer structure."

""The new build is a much needed facility and will help us look to the future at the GSPCA helping animal welfare in Guernsey."

A representative from Ceva said "Ceva would like to thank all our guests for attending this year's Ceva Welfare Awards on Wednesday evening and those who joined us from home on YouTube."

"It was a fantastic evening celebrating the incredible work of our worthy winners and finalists."

" We hope you enjoyed the evening as much as we did!"

"We would also like to thank our sponsors for supporting the event PDSA - For Pets in Need of Vets Your Cat Magazine Your Dog Magazine Blue Cross International Cat Care Agria Pet Insurance UK The Veterinary Times, The VN Times and NADIS."

"Here is a recap of this year's winners and finalists. Congratulations to you all once again!"

Christopher Laurence Vet of the Year - Winner - John Knight GSPCA

Finalists - Vicki Larkham and Nadine Lock

The VN Times Welfare Nurse of the Year - Winner - Hayley Walters MSc International Animal Welfare, Ethics & Law (on-line)

Finalists - Shakira Free Miles Victoria Blue Cross animal hospitald Hayley Stevenson Vets4Pets Corby

PDSA Charity Professional of the Year - Winner - Melissa Liszewski The Brooke

Finalists - Yvonne Chauvel and Genevive Samson Wood Green Animal Shelters

Your Cat and Your Dog Magazine Charity Team of the Year - Winner - IAPWA International Aid for the Protection and Welfare of Animals (IAPWA)

Finalists - CFAF Change For Animals Foundation and East Sussex WRAS

Blue Cross Volunteer of the Year - Winner - Gwen Butler

Finalists - Christopher Yates Blue Cross Burford Rehoming Centre and Lisa Draper British Horse Society

NADIS Farm Animal Welfare - Winner - Rebecca Whay

Finalists - James Winslade and Vicky Bond Compassion in World Farming

International Cat Care Welfare - Winner - Brigita Kymantaitė

Life Time Achievement - Angela Humphreys

Special Recognition - Friends of Manchester and Cheshire Dogs Home Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home

To see the current prices of the ADAPTIL or Feliway products at the GSPCA please click here.

For more information about Ceva and the Awards - http://www.cevawelfareawards.com/tablet/nomination-form.html

To see a few pictures from the filming and of John and Yvonne please click here.

Some information about Ceva -

Having launched in 2000, Ceva Animal Health markets pioneering animal health products in the livestock, swine, equine and companion animal sectors.

Ceva is committed to carrying out research and trials to improve veterinary and animal owner knowledge.

They pride themselves on the relationships they have forged within the UK’s leading animal charities and key opinion leaders. They support the veterinary professional and owners with education through hard-hitting and innovative marketing campaigns and CPD.

Ceva is a company that acknowledges and rewards those who work to improve the welfare and care of animals, which is why they have created the Ceva Awards for Animal Welfare. They are approaching their third year of this successful endeavor to formerly recognise and thank those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Here is the VT from the evening and the finalists -