Following a glitzy presentation ceremony held at Birmingham’s Burlington Hotel, Ceva is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Animal Welfare Awards.
The coveted Ceva Animal Welfare Awards, now in their third year, recognise volunteers, charity workers and veterinary professionals who have gone the extra mile in improving animal welfare around the world. After receiving hundreds of entries, category winners were decided by an esteemed panel of industry professionals, including Christopher Laurence MBE BVSc and Claire Bessant of International Cat Care.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, head judge Christopher Laurence, said: “It is always so nice to be here in recognition of such a broad range of winners, from Luke Gamble and his remarkable work in India, to more local welfare heroes such as Joanna Beumer from the Retired Greyhound Trust, who has worked tirelessly to re-home thousands of dogs. The evening has run very smoothly, and there is a wonderful atmosphere shared by all here.”
Winners were presented with their award on stage by head judge, Christopher Laurence, and a representative from each of the category sponsors, which this year included Veterinary Times, VNTimes, Blue Cross, PDSA, Your Cat & Your Dog magazine, International Cat Care and NADIS.
The winners of the 2014 Ceva Animal Welfare Awards are as follows:
Christopher Laurence Vet of the Year Award – in association with the Veterinary Times
Marc Abraham – Veterinary Surgeon and founder of Pup Aid. It’s Marc’s tireless campaigning about puppy farming that caught the eyes and hearts of the judging panel. He recently gathered more than the 100,000 names required to trigger a parliamentary debate about puppy farming in a record breaking six months.
Volunteer of the Year Welfare Award – in association with Blue Cross
Johanna Beumer – Whittingham Kennels, Essex. Joanna has dedicated the last 50 years of her life to finding loving homes for retired racing greyhounds and is one of the Retired Greyhound Trust’s longest-serving volunteers.
Farm Animal Welfare Award – in association with Nadis
Molly McKay – Norfolk Farm Vets Ltd, Grimston, Norfolk. Molly works relentlessly to ensure the health and wellbeing of her farm animal patients. She offers farmers various solutions to resolve their livestock’s health and is continuously providing care to prevent illnesses from happening in the first place. Outside of work, Molly teaches veterinary students about farming husbandry and has set up the Aspire to Farm Awards to encourage new blood into the profession.
Charity Professional of the Year – in association with PDSA
Luke Gamble – Worldwide Veterinary Service. Nominated for raising awareness in animal welfare and in particular his recent work in launching Mission Rabies, a worldwide campaign to highlight this issue and bring about controlling the devastation that this disease causes.
Charity Team of the Year – in association with Your Cat and Your Dog magazine
Hope Rescue – a small charity dedicated to rescuing stray and abandoned dogs. Without Hope Rescue many of the dogs in the area would face euthanasia. Last year it successfully rehomed 143 dogs and on top of that placed a further 384 dogs with reputable rescues.
VN Times Welfare Nurse of the Year Award
Jodie Foster – Haygate Veterinary Centre (Muxton). Jodie’s keen interest in animal behaviour has seen her complete numerous courses in this field to both increase her knowledge and help owners who come into the clinic. She also collaborates with the Pet Blood Bank organising blood drives in her practice to ensure there is a plentiful supply of blood in the area.
International Cat Care Welfare Award
Agnes Dufau – Plataforma Gatera. As president of Plataforma Gatera, Agnes has travelled the length and breadth of Spain to ensure the welfare of cats in the country. Because of the excellent work the charity does at controlling the population of cats in Barcelona, Agnes is often called up to present best practice advice at conferences. Agnes has also been responsible for organising the Barcelona Athenaeum Feline Seminar which is in its 5th year. 2013’s conference saw speakers from Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Austria and France share their strategies on cat’s protection and welfare.
Jodie Foster, VN Times Welfare Nurse of the Year Award winner, spoke after receiving her coveted award: “I didn’t even know I had been nominated until very recently so I’m still in shock! I’m loving every minute of the night though. Awards like these really help raise awareness of the work veterinary nurses and other veterinary professionals play in improving animal welfare.”
Upon receiving their award, Vanessa Waddon of Hope Rescue, winners of the Charity Team of the Year Award, said: “We are so proud to have been recognised for all the hard work that our volunteers and one paid member of staff do. We are a very small charity, and it is amazing to have been picked as winners over hundreds of other larger charities, all deserving of awards for the fantastic work they do in animal welfare. Even though we are a small charity, we do try to make a big impact and it is wonderful that Ceva are here in recognition of the important work that smaller charities, like Hope Rescue, do.”
Speaking on Twitter, Vet of the Year, Marc Abraham, commented: “Just won ‘Vet of the Year Award’. Thanks to everyone for supporting PupAid – this one’s for all of you.”
Ceva Managing Director, Alan Doyle comments: “The judging panel were overwhelmed by the quality of the entries we received this year. It is truly wonderful to read so many stories about honourable people dedicating their time to improve the welfare of animals both in the UK and internationally. The judges had a tough time whittling down the short list as there were so many well-deserved entries; however we are pleased with the final result.”
Claire Bessant CEO of International Cat Care adds: “I began my charity career more than 20 years ago and I only wish awards like these one had existed then as the wonderful work that these people do needs celebrating. Ceva’s Animal Welfare Awards provide a real insight into the lengths people are prepared go to improve animal welfare. The stories were both tear jerking and inspiring – each and every one deserves to be a winner.”
For full details of the category winners and the awards shortlist, please email contactus@cevawelfareawards.com. Interviews with category winners and the judging panel are also available upon request.
Additional comments, images from the night are available following the #welfarematters hashtag on Twitter.
