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Chester Zoo scoops prestigious volunteer award
Chester Zoo's volunteers highlight different species and the conservation actions underway to protect them.
Zoo is the first in UK to achieve 'Investors in Volunteers’ status

Chester Zoo has become the first zoo in the UK to win a prestigious award for its work with volunteers.

The Zoo scooped the nationally important ‘Investors in Volunteers’ award following a 15-month consultation confirming the zoo’s value and commitment to its volunteers. 

The award aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience offered by organisations across the UK and underscores the value of volunteers to the charity’s mission to prevent extinction.

“As a major UK wildlife charity, the support we receive from our volunteers is invaluable,” commented Lindsay Marston, volunteer manager at Chester Zoo. “This award shows our current and future volunteers that we’re committed to ensuring they have the very best experience when they volunteer with us. We’re very proud to be the very first zoo in the UK to achieve this accolade."

Chester Zoo's volunteers play a significant role in animal conservation by highlighting different species and the conservation actions underway to protect them. In a typical year, the zoo welcomes more than 250 volunteers in various positions, but COVID-19 spurred a change in how it engaged with and supported its volunteers.

“In the wake of the global pandemic we had to adapt the way we worked with volunteers and lots of our consultation work moved online," Lindsay explained. "We introduced ‘micro-volunteering, as it became apparent that a lot of our volunteers felt isolated and alone during lockdown."

Despite the zoo's closure, the volunteers were able to continue their work from home, by fact-checking educational signage or creating wildlife spaces in their gardens. 

“Some of our volunteers are in their later years and, for them, volunteering is a huge part of their lives," said Lindsay. "We really recognise the mutual benefits that volunteering gives, so by keeping them engaged with other activities while the zoo had to close helped to make them feel motivated and valued."

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.