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Record number of candidates for VN Council election
A record number of RVNs have put themselves forward for the 2021 VN Council election.
Fourteen candidates will compete for the one available place.

More candidates than ever before have come forward to run in the 2021 RCVS Veterinary Nurses (VN) Council election, the RCVS has confirmed.

The RCVS extended its nomination period to the end of February after receiving just one nomination for the VN Council election - Susan Howorth RVN - who has automatically been re-elected to VN Council for another three-year term.  

Fourteen candidates have since stepped up to compete for the one available place. They are:

  • Samantha Jayne Anderson
  • Kirsten Cavill
  • Rebecca Jane Clark
  • Sophie Louise Connolly
  • Olivia Jade Dunlop
  • Thomas Griffiths
  • Daniel James Hogan
  • Steven David Patrick Johnson
  • Carly Kilby
  • Donna Leigh Lewis
  • Lee Thomas Vaughan
  • Francesca Ware
  • Diana Elizabeth Joyce Wilson
  • Tania Yelland.
     
VN Council chair Matthew Rendle said: “This is quite an astonishing development to go from having just one candidate to a new record, but I am very thankful for the 14 colleagues who have come forward and who are showing a commitment to join VN Council and help drive forward our profession. 

“To my fellow members of the profession, please do make sure to engage with the election and cast your vote. VN Council not only makes important decisions on matters relating to veterinary nursing training & education and registration but, along with the British Veterinary Nursing Association, also helps set the direction of travel for the VN Futures project which is looking at how our profession can be a vibrant, rewarding and sustainable one, now and in the future.”

Voting commence online the week beginning 15 March 2021, when eligible members of the profession will receive an email from Civica Election Services. The deadline closes at 5 pm on Friday, 23 April 2021.

More information about the election and each of the candidates is available at rcvs.org.uk/vnvote21 

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Free event for the global unowned cat community

News Story 1
 International Cat Care (ICatCare) has announced a free, virtual event dedicated to caring for unowned cats to explore new ideas and ways of working.

iCatConnect 2025 takes place on Wednesday, 12 November, and is open to everyone working and volunteering with unowned cats. It will include a line-up of 12 international cat welfare experts, who will consider the bigger picture of unowned cats and explore practical, effective, and inclusive solutions.

Following the session, attendees can put their questions to the experts and share their views. They will also hear frontline challenges and real-world case studies shared by contributors working in shelters, TNR, community cat programmes, and veterinary teams from around the world. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue reaches Wales for first time in 2025

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has revealed that bluetongue has been confirmed in Wales for the first time in 2025.

In their latest statistics, APHA records a total of 109 cases of BTV-3 or BTV-8 in Great Britain in the 2025-2026 vector season.

The total number of BTV-3 cases in Great Britain this season is 107. This includes 103 cases within the England restricted zone and four cases in Wales.

There has also been two cases of BTV-8, which were both in Cornwall.

As a result of the cases in Wales, a Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) is enforced in Monmouthshire. Animals can move freely under general license within the England Restricted Zone, however animals with suspected bluetongue must stay on their holding.

All premises testing positive for blue tongue can be viewed on this map.