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Stars unite for Animal Hero Awards
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais with Dr Brian May and RSPCA inspector Kate Fletcher.

Ricky Gervais honoured for outstanding contribution to animal welfare

Comedian Ricky Gervais has been honoured by the RSPCA for his outstanding contribution to animal welfare at a glittering awards ceremony in London.

Held on Wednesday evening (21 October), the Animal Hero Awards celebrate the most inspiring examples of bravery, dedication and resilience in the animal world.

Ricky - a Bafta-award winning director, actor and writer -  has used social media to draw attention to several animal welfare campaigns this year to over 10 million of his followers.  These included the campaign to repeal the Hunting Act and the RSPCA's Scrap the Puppy Trade campaign, which pushed to introduce laws to regulate the sale of puppies in England and Wales.

On accepting his award, presented by Queen's Brian May, Ricky said: “I think the RSPCA are great, they are the people on the frontline they are the people who are tackling it.”

He praised RSPCA inspectors, saying: “Those people are amazing, they are an emergency service, they are fantastic.”

Ricky added: “I think it is one of the greatest privileges of freedom of speech, to use your voice for those who don’t have one. I think people who are kind to animals are the loveliest people.”

This is the third year for the Animal Hero Awards, hosted in conjunction with the RSPCA, Daily Mirror and Bayer pharmaceuticals.

Other worthy winners on the night included Victoria Bryceson, who won Animal Enthusiast of the Year for dedicating her life to helping animals in Borneo.

RSPCA Superstar of the Year went to Julie Bedford, a pet behavioural expert who has put together two courses for RSPCA staff to help dogs showing signs of aggression in RSPCA care.

TV vet Marc Abraham was awarded Vet of the Year and Celia Hammond, former model turned animal welfare campaigner, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Speaking at the ceremony RSPCA interim chief executive David Canavan said: "The Animal Hero Awards is a fantastic event and one that the RSPCA are very proud to be part of.

"I was honoured to hear all the animal heroes' stories. Having an event dedicated to the positive power of animals really shows the impact they have on our lives and highlights the wonderful work of the people who help and heal them." 

Image (C) RSPCA

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.