Homefield is a small animal practice that's been providing animal care in the villages of Brayton and Sherburn-in-Elmet for a long time, around 40-50 years. We have two premises, the main surgery is in Brayton and that is a lovely, bright modern building that's been recently refurbished and the smaller Sherburn branch. I first came here as a student and then began working here as a new graduate. That was nearly 30 years ago and I'm still here!

What is it about the practice that has made you stay on?

For me, it’s the people. I’m surrounded by like-minded people that have the best interests of our patients and clients at heart. We've grown a team that has shared values and are committed to maintaining the best care that we can give.

I've got to know quite a lot of our clients, and it’s nice to see familiar faces. I like living in the local area, it’s a lovely place to live. We've got the benefits of being close to cities, but we still are in a rural environment, so there are plenty of green spaces and it's easy to get to the coast.

Can you tell me more about the team at Holmefield and the environment at the practice?

It’s a welcoming and friendly place. We’re very interactive and everybody works well together. Our nursing team are fantastic, and do everything within their remit and skillset that they can, which really supports our vets. We can trust and have confidence in our nurses, which is really important. It’s a positive and pleasant working environment.

We’re good at spending time together socially as well, there's a couple of nice restaurants in Selby that we go to on a semi-regular basis. Often people will have barbecues in the summer, and everybody comes along. We try and have full team outings at least a couple of times a year, although they aren’t compulsory!

What kind of equipment and resources do you have at the practice?

We’ve got all the normal tools and toys that you would expect, including a really nice new ultrasound machine that enables cardiology as well as just standard ultrasonography and we've got a flexible endoscope.

From a skills perspective, we've got a vet that offers acupuncture, a team member studying towards an imaging certificate, and the nursing team are encouraged to do their own CPD and develop their skills. One of our nurses runs diabetes clinics and another nurse is interested in feline medicine. We’re also ISFM accredited as a cat-friendly clinic. There’s a dedicated office space for the vets to make use of which is handy, as well as a good staff area with a kitchen where we have our team meetings.

Can you tell us more about the local area?

We have a great mix with the proximity to York and Leeds, and the villages are nice places to live too. You can get to Scarborough, Bridlington, Whitby, or any of those coastal areas without too much trouble at all, and it’s easy to get onto the North York Moors as well. In Selby, there’s a little bowling alley in Selby, a swimming pool, and there are several cinemas nearby. Most things that you would think of that you'd want to do on a regular basis, you can do quite easily.

Do you have any of your own animals?

 Yes, I think it's pretty much compulsory, isn't it? We normally have an absolute house full, but at the moment we've got one elderly cat, Spencer, who came to us about 16 years ago after sneaking into a tradesman's van somewhere else in the country, who had no idea and then the next morning opened his van and found the cat sat in there. Sadly, he wasn't microchipped and we weren’t able to find the previous owners, so, in the end, he came to join our family. We have a dachshund Lincoln who is adorable but naughty, He's about four. We've also got a 2-year-old Labrador called Oakley who is just a standard happy-go-lucky Labrador.