Introducing Our Practice Team

Nigel qualified from Liverpool in 1986 and after three years in Hitchin he joined Brown, Plumley and Hart at their surgery in Henry Street. These three stalwarts have retired, the practice moved and became Chaseview and Nigel is mortified to have changed from “the young man” to “the old codger”. By employing excellent staff he tries to do as little work as possible. When he does turn up he enjoys interfering with all aspects of mixed practice while moaning about how much better it was in the old days before we had all this fantastic new equipment. He can no longer claim to be a marathon runner after dodgy knees and laziness intervened. He does do a bit of swimming and cycling as he knows how much his colleagues appreciate seeing a man over fifty in Speedos or lycra. He is a member of The Joint Measurement Board for horses.

Will joined the practice in 2016 after graduating from the University of Liverpool and became a director in 2023. He is originally from Hampshire but grew up abroad in India and Kenya.

Will comes from a farming background but enjoys all the variety that mixed practice has to offer. In 2020 he gained an RCVS certificate in advanced veterinary practice (Cert AVP) focused on small animal medicine.

Will bought a house in Ross on Wye a few years ago and when he's not at work he is usually busy attempting DIY projects (with varying levels of success). He also enjoys climbing, fishing and hurting himself on his mountain-bike.

Kate qualified from Bristol University Veterinary School last century, in 1999 to be precise but is not quite as ancient as Nigel. She started at Chaseview as her first job and because she did not want to leave such as good practice she joined the partnership in 2003.

Kate has an interest in all aspects of mixed practice but especially surgery. She likes to take on difficult surgical challenges and is able to offer orthopaedic surgery, cruciate repair surgery including TTAs, laryngeal tie backs and even PDA heart surgery.

Alpacas are becoming a more common sight in the area and so she has taken an interest in these animals. They are fun animals to work with except when they spit.

In her spare time you can find Kate doing the craziest of pastimes. You will never find Kate relaxing on a beach reading a book and you will definitely never see her baking. Look on the river and she will be in a kayak, look in the sky and she will be in a glider or a parachute, look in the forest and she will be on a bike, look on a mountain and she will be skiing down it, look in the sea and she will be there with a scuba tank on trying to get close to a whale shark, look at the sea and she will be sailing a hobbie cat or on water skis, look on a rock face and she will be climbing up it or abseiling down it, look at a quiet day and you will see her with 3 terriers exploring the countryside (Eric, Ernie and Mabel).

James is originally from Worcestershire, and studied at Bristol University. He came to work at Chaseview in summer 2019. Having been brought up on a farm James enjoys all aspects of mixed practice. James is currently pursuing his interest in more advanced veterinary dentistry and can undertake fillings, enamel repair and other restorative dental techniques! He enjoys country living and has quite a reputation for making excellent plum jam. James also enjoys making cider but trust me don't ask to try it.

Claire originates from Herefordshire and graduated from Glasgow University in 2006 with honours. Following several years in a large mixed practice in Cardiff she worked for 5 years in a Worcestershire Equine Hospital where she gained her General Practitioner Certificate in Equine Medicine (GPCert (EM)). After joining Chaseview in 2013 she has gained the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certificate of Advanced Practice in Equine Medicine (Cert AVP (EM)).

Claire enjoys all areas of mixed practice and has particular interests in surgery and equine medicine.

Originally from North Herefordshire, Hannah studied at the University of Liverpool before returning closer to home. Outside of work, Hannah Williams can often be found exploring the great outdoors and is a keen and active member of her local young farmers club. Through young farmers, Hannah gets involved in a variety of competitions including stock judging, tug of war and public speaking, to name a few, along with enjoying the social side! Having grown up helping out on her grandparents sheep farm, Hannah now has 2 pet lambs of her own, along with a cat, Poppy.

Sophie joined the practice in September 2021 having previously worked in mixed practice for the last two years. She enjoys the variety of mixed practice especially the sheep and goat work! Outside of work, Sophie is a keen badminton player and enjoys hiking/cycling in the forest. She loves cooking for friends and family and, in spite of a limited general knowledge, is always up for a good pub quiz ( she's not so bad on the animal stuff though!).

Freddie joined our veterinary team in 2022. Originally from Surrey, she initially studied Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds before realising her dream job was in the animal world. After a few years of working and travelling, she settled in for the 5-year slog and graduated from the University of Surrey vet school in 2022.

Freddie grew up on a farm with an array of animals, and therefore became set on mixed vetting from the outset and having seen a lot of practice in the local area, she decided that Herefordshire was for her.

Freddie has already fallen for two stray kittens that she cared for at Chaseview, and despite claiming she was just going to foster them, she inevitably fell in love with them, with Humphrey and Gen being the latest additions to her furry family.

When not working and adding to her furry collection, Freddie enjoys hiking with Crumble and Vixen (her family Labradors), yoga, travelling, horse riding, shooting, swimming, and attempting to cycle. Annually, Freddie takes part in a charity event for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of her Mum, usually convincing naive friends to participate in these mad adventures, the most recent one being a cycling marathon around Loch Ness.

I grew up in Gloucestershire and initially studied at animal science at Aberystwyth University and after a few years working I started studying at the RVC and graduated in July 2023. I enjoy the variety of mixed work but especially the equine work. Outside of work I enjoy walking with my crazy spaniel and riding around the Herefordshire countryside with my horse Mr Bo.

Sophie is originally from South Wales, and completed her first degree in Equine Science in Aberystwyth University. After finishing this course, she moved onto studying Veterinary Medicine at Surrey University. After qualification in 2022 she worked in a mixed practice in Wotton Under Edge before joining the Chaseview team in the spring of 2023. Outside of work Sophie enjoys country living and is often out walking her dog Molly and riding her horse Em. She also enjoys trail running and even competes in the odd race but only as long as there is a pub near the finish line.

Steph grew up in Surrey with a dream of being an equine vet, but by the time she graduated from Bristol Vet School in 2023 she realised she wanted a more varied, Herriot-esque role! Mixed practice has not disappointed her- she claims she is yet to have a dull moment or leave a days work without an interesting story to take home.

Despite moving away from home she is very close to her parents and nine year old brother, grandparents and beloved childhood friend Rocky the black lab, who tolerates her being a vet as long as she doesn't try to examine him.

When she is not puzzling over a patient at work Steph is usually at the gym, out on her paddleboard or helping her boyfriend with his armwrestling training. Steph's main interest is Olympic weightlifting which she trains for 4 times a week and hopes to start competing in soon!

Julie joined us as a qualified Veterinary Nurse in January 2018 after working in a small animal practice for several years. She loves all aspects of nursing but particularly enjoys being in the operating theatre, monitoring anaesthetics and carrying out nurse clinics. She has a love for all animals which is shown in the wide variety of pets that she owns, including; tortoises, a turtle, snake and fish. In addition to these, she also has a very spoilt Labrador called Barney.

Julie grew up locally but moved to Switzerland for 6 years where she developed her love of Field Hockey, Skiing and Snowboarding. Outside of work Julie also enjoys baking, photography, travelling and socialising. She has a wicked sense of humour and can always be seen with a smile on her face whilst working.

Rachel grew up on a farm in Pembrokeshire, and spent her time surrounded by dogs, cats, sheep, horses, and cows. She joined Chaseview Vets in 2006 after completing her Equine Science degree and then went on to train as a Veterinary Nurse, qualifying in 2008.

Having always had a keen interest in physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and rehabilitation, Rachel completed a 2-year Clinical Massage Practitioner programme with The Canine Massage Therapy Centre. She runs Clinical Massage clinics in the practice, helping to treat and support dogs that have been diagnosed with orthopaedic conditions such as hip dysplasia or arthritis, and those with soft tissue injuries such as strains or sprains.

Rachel is very passionate about all things rehabilitation, and providing help and advice to owners to help improve mobility and the well-being of their pets. She loves learning new things, and is currently embarking on further training in small animal rehabilitation in order to help more dogs and their humans.

Outside of work she loves spending time in the great outdoors with her friends and family. You will normally find her walking or cycling through a forest, travelling along the coast path, or hiking up a hill. She has a slight obsession with springer spaniels and her trusty pack is never far from her side.

Cat joined the practice as a student veterinary nurse in March 2010, and later qualified in October 2012. During this time Cat also received training in Canine Hydrotherapy and Therapeutic Laser Therapy and worked in our hydrotherapy centre for many years. She has since become a clinical coach and is heavily involved in training our current student veterinary nurses and enjoys treating all manner of patients and conditions with the therapeutic laser machine. She has a special interest in canine behaviour; a subject she hopes to explore further in the future and enjoys being in the operating theatre most of all. She also has an infectious sense of humour and is always on hand if anyone needs cheering up!

Caz started work in 2003 as an animal nursing assistant and qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 2011. She gained her Level 3 Certificate in Hydrotherapy in 2013.

Her love for all animals is evident in her daily work, and is caring and compassionate to her patients and shows a great deal of empathy towards the clients. She is an influential member of the group with an encouraging enthusiasm for the work that she does and likes an organised and clutter free working environment.

Caz has been involved in many of the successful outcomes at the Canine Hydrotherapy Referral Clinic, and is a fundamental member of our nursing team.

Having grown up on a farm, she enjoys the diversity of our mixed practice and is always cheerful and energetic.

Caz currently works part time. She spends her days off with her little girl, Holly, where they enjoy walking Mielo, her lab-collie cross and helping out on the family farms.

Emma began her Chaseview journey back in 2005 and a lot has happened since then. She qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 2010, has become a canine hydrotherapist and a clinical coach to our student veterinary nurses. Emma particularly enjoys her role as a consulting nurse running clinics within the practice and has always remained an extremely important part of the practice nursing team due to her caring nature and outstanding practical skills. She is always very hard-working and particularly thorough which benefits every animal under her care.

Now that Emma's party days are behind her outside of work you will find she likes to ommmm her way through life with yoga and attends regular classes. Emma also enjoys dragging her little family out on countryside walks or to the beach in all weathers and you could say she likes living dangerously as her other pastime favourite is cuddling up with her cat and drinking tea......if you've ever met her cat Kenny (aka the black panther) you will understand why!

Originally from Glasgow, Emma relocated to Ross in 2006 and has spent the best part of 20 years working in Recruitment. In 2017 she made the decision to embark on complete career change and will start her nursing training in April.

Emma joins nurses Elora and Emma J as another crazy cat lady with 2 of her own, Sophie & Sid. Outside of work and college Emma loves to cook and is a big motorsports fan.

Caitlin qualified as an RVN in August 2020 from Hartpury College and joined the Chaseview team in September that same year having previously worked in mixed practice in Herefordshire. She particularly enjoys in-patient care and laboratory work.

Caitlin grew up locally in Newent and has always had a love of animals. Her favourite time of year is lambing as outside of work she is a keen shepherdess. She is an active member of her local young farmers and is particularly interested in stock judging, alongside the social aspects of the club! She has a Jack Russell called scrappy who she enjoys exploring the countryside with when she is not at work.

I joined the Chaseview team as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in June 2021. I originally grew up in south London but decided to escape to the country and completed a BSc (Hons) Veterinary Nursing degree at Harper Adams University. After graduating in 2017 my boyfriend and I decided to fulfil a life long dream and set off travelling. After an amazing year spent travelling and working in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand we returned and settled down in this area.

I enjoy all aspects of nursing but have a special interest in medical nursing and behaviour. I particularly love caring for inpatients whether a small furry or a great dane.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time walking with my boyfriend’s two border collies and spending time with family and friends.

I qualified as an RVN in 2015 whilst working for a small animal practice in Surrey. In 2017 I moved back to Herefordshire to be closer to family, this is when I joined Chaseview to work in the Hydrotherapy centre to focus my skills on rehabilitation. I thoroughly enjoyed my 5 years working as a hydrotherapist, but I am now very excited to reignite my nursing skills as I join the Chaseview nursing & reception teams.

I love all animals, I have 2 cats, I regularly go dog walking though the countryside, & I have passion for horses ... but I also take part in voluntary work as a tiler & decorator … this gives me a varied & exciting life, full of many different adventures.

I studied Animal Science, Health and Welfare at the University of South Wales, but I would like to study to be a vet nurse in the future.

I have recently bought my first house with my boyfriend what we are currently renovating and extending this year. We live here with our musk turtle called Timothy and our rescue rabbit called Steve.

I have a lot of pets at my family home including a sprocker spaniel, two dachshunds, chickens, a rabbit, two macaws and an African grey parrot.

In my spare time I love baking, decorating my house, going out for food and drinks and running the Instagram account I have for Ronnie, one of my miniature dachshunds @ronnie_the_sausage2019

Sue joined us in January 1996 as a full time receptionist. She has moved to running our accounts office but is always willing to provide “back up” in reception. Having been with us since 1996 she knows and has a good rapport with our small and large animal clients.

In her spare time she enjoys meeting up with her brother and sister to visit castles and historic buildings. Sue and her husband Dan love to try new places and different places to eat out.

Nadine started her working life within human healthcare management, after many years in the industry she decided to take a career break to pursue a personal interest in nutrition, whilst she always intended to go back into human healthcare, whilst studying Nadine stumbled across a part time role as a receptionist within a small animal veterinary practice. Nadine soon found that her love and passion for animals outweighed her love for humans! So much so that she swapped her human clients for some furry friends and has never looked back since.

Nadine is responsible for the day to day running of the practice, she is passionate about great quality animal healthcare and the wellbeing of her team and she does love a challenge. At home she is kept very busy by her hoard of animals, The current collection consists of two miniature schnauzers called Rose & Teddy, who like the sound of their own voices a little too much, then there is the lovely Rupert who can often be found tucked away under her desk whilst she is working. Next there’s a little fluffy cross breed called Misty, who has a serious split personality, when she is good, she is very very good and when she is bad she is horrid, but she is loved regardless and last but by no means least is her big clumsy working Labrador Nala who identifies as a chihuahua.

When not at work Nadine can be found renovating her Victorian house she purchased recently, if she is not doing that she can be found out and about, walking the dogs, out on the bike with her daughter, this year she discovered kayaking, which has proved to be no end of entertainment for her adult children. Although she is a busy person, when she has time, Nadine can often be found creating some sort of masterpiece in the kitchen.

Bonnie joined us in September 2013 as our afternoon receptionist but has since moved to mornings. She is happy in her role and enjoys the interaction she has with the clients and their pets. She enjoys an active lifestyle playing tennis at Goodrich Tennis Club and enjoys participating in amateur dramatics. She was born in Goodrich and enjoys living in the countryside with her family, pet dog Harvey and cat Lucy.

Any spare time she has around work, tennis and family life she enjoys walking, cycling, reading, yoga and cooking. She has recently discovered that she has a passion to paint which she hopes to pursue long term. She enjoys baking cakes which she brings into work for the staff to enjoy.

Lin joined Chaseview in November 2008 as our morning receptionist. Always bright and cheerful Lin is a very efficient organiser and a much appreciated member of our team.

Lin has a daughter Molly who is a very important part of Lin's life.

She currently doesn't have a pet of her own but helps Molly look after her pet budgie Blue.

Sharon is our most recent member of the Reception Team having started in July 2016. Sharon is local to the area originally from the Forest of Dean and has worked and lived in Ross-on-Wye for most of her life.

She has two daughters and two dogs, a Working Lakeland Terrier and a Jack Russell Terrier and can often be seen walking by the river with them each day.

Sharon completed a City and Guilds Dog Grooming Course at Hartpury College in 2005 so that she could groom her Miniature Schnauzer (who has now passed away) and friend’s dogs.

Sharon enjoys spending time with her family, reading, going out for meals and spending weekends away with friends.

Judy is the newest member of the reception team joining Chaseview in April 2018. She lives on a farm with her husband, three children, 150 ewes, a variety of cattle, 4 horses, 2 dogs and a cat. She is a keen pony club mum and when not out competing and training with her daughter at weekends enjoys hacking round the lanes.

Deb is originally from Birmingham, she moved to Ross about 23 years ago.

Deb lives with her husband Dave; she has 2 sons and 2 step daughters who have all flown the nest. She now has a gorgeous Cockapoo call Alfie who is now her baby.

Deb has enjoyed travelling over the last few years and visited some lovely countries she is looking forward to visiting more when she can.

Deb loves walking with her dog and enjoys a social life, she enjoys cooking and entertaining her friends. She is a keen gardener and loves pottering in the garden. She loves music and is a big fan of Jack Savoretti, who she met at one of his concerts. If you haven’t heard of him, she recommends you listen as she thinks he is amazing.

She loves her new job at the vets and is looking forward to meeting everyone with their pets.

Deb has a twin sister, so if you do bump into her at sometime Deb isn’t ignoring you. It will be her twin.

Born in London and raised in Southampton, I worked as a security officer at Southampton international airport before moving to the beautiful Forest of Dean in 2005.

I have two lovely 16 year old dogs and am a great fan of cats protection where I have adopted 6 cats over the years the latest recruitment being the naughtiest!

I love entertaining, especially with my family and fabulous neighbours. I really enjoy cooking and gardening and you can often find me relaxing on the patio with a very large glass of wine or three!!!!

I joined the Chaseview team in 2020 and can honestly say that the staff are the funniest,nicest bunch of people I’ve had the pleasure to work with.

I joined the practice in June 2021, as a part time Receptionist, working in the afternoons.

I'm a country girl at heart and never happier than when I'm in my coat and wellies, walking with Ted my 5yr old Jack Russell Cross, wherever that maybe; a beach, woods or just around my local area.

I really enjoy family life. I have three children and my first grandchild born in 2020.

In my spare time, I enjoy DIY and have recently started a new hobby of upcycling furniture. Aside this I also volunteer to support young disabled adults.

Becky joined the practice at the end of September 2022. She has over 25 years of administration experience and has two fury friends of her own, Missy the Cavalier King Charles spaniel and Dudley the Doberman.

She loves going on dog walks, exploring different locations . As well as spending time with her two teenage daughters and husband, Becky enjoys socialising , travelling, going to the theatre and music concerts.

Emily started working at Wye Valley Canine Hydrotherapy in 2020 and has since gained her Level 3 certificate and Level 4 award in Canine Hydrotherapy. Emily grew up on her family’s farm in Herefordshire and has always loved all things outdoors and animal related. When she’s not at work she enjoys adventuring with her two Border Collies, Misty and Stormy, and spending time with her Welsh Cob, Nelly.’

Ashlea grew up by the seaside in Brighton and has always loved animals and any activities in the water. When she is visiting her family home, she enjoys taking her two dogs out to the beach and for swims in the sea.

In January 2018, Ashlea spent 6 months in Australia and South East Asia. Whilst away she volunteered at animal sanctuaries looking after dogs, elephants and monkeys she also gained a SCUBA diving qualification.

Ashlea started at Hartpury University in September that year, to study Bio Veterinary Science and from there her love of caring for animals grew and she found an interest in Hydrotherapy.

Ashlea has been working at Wye Valley Canine Hydrotherapy since 2021 and has since completed her Level 3 certificate in Canine Hydrotherapy. Outside of work, Ashlea plays for a local netball team and enjoys taking her paddle board out on the river Wye.

Lucy grew up in Herefordshire and now lives in Ross-on-Wye. She has always grown up with dogs and knew she wanted to be involved with rehabilitation since college. She studied Applied Animal science with therapy at Hartpury university, achieving the Cotswold dog spaluc award. She then went on to achieving her level 3 in hydrotherapy and hopes to achieve a level 4. She has a passion for animals in general and can’t wait to have a cat, dog and lizard of her own.

When not at work she enjoys going to the gym, relaxing in a coffee shop with a book and exploring new places with her friends.