A VET who helped launch a new surgery in Birchwood has been promoted to become partner of a group of clinics.

Philippa Bradley is head vet at the Orford Lane centre and also works at Willows Veterinary Group's branch inside Birchwood Shopping Centre.

The 32-year-old, who had dreamed of a career in animal care since she was a child, has been helping pets across the town for the past six years.

She first decided to pursue a career as a vet after completing work experience and said: “I was 13 or 14 and I absolutely loved it and knew then that’s what I wanted to do.

“I get to build a close relationship with my clients and know their pets really well and I really enjoy that because it enables a bond to develop.”

She recalled a memorable experience early on in her career as an example of how rewarding her job can be: “An injured cat, Spencer, was brought into us, I think he had been knocked down by a car and had severe injuries including a broken jaw and damage to his eye, which we needed to remove.

“Working in partnership with Warrington Animal Welfare, we were able to get Spencer back to good health and he was re-homed.

"After a while we received a lovely thank you letter from Spencer’s new owners, which was lovely.”

Philippa grew up in Yorkshire and trained at the Royal Veterinary College in London before a placement in New Zealand.

She has two labradoodle dogs of her own, named Millie and Ollie, and a black and white cat called Noodle.

She added: “I am very proud to be invited to be part of the partner team at Willows Veterinary Group and I am very pleased to be offered this career progression. It feels like the start of an exciting new adventure.”