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CHESHIRE FM
It is with great sadness that we report the demise of Cheshire FM. For the last 12 months we have sat in the Vet on the Radio spot on the first Wednesday of every month on the station and know from feedback that many of our clients enjoyed listening to the show. It was a great way to interract with local pet owners and answer their questions on pet health and behaviour. The radio station was a real 'local' station which focussed on the communities in Mid-Cheshire and will be sadly missed. We were proud to have been a part of their programming and would like to thank 'Big Al' for making the on-air chats so enjoyable.
LATEST EDITION OF GUINEA PIG MAGAZINE
Our Beech House surgery in Warrington provides a regular Guinea Pig Clinic article in the pages of Guinea Pig Magazine. Nikki and Faye, our Guinea Pig Nurses, both love these littlke furries and as well as writing for the magazine provide free Guinea Pig health checks for owners. The latest issue of the magazine is out now and the clinic this edition features Finlay a one year old piggy brought into the surgery because he had stopped eating. Full details on the magazine are available from www.guineapigmagazine.com
ANIMAL CHARITIES CHRISTMAS FAIR
Our first Animal Charities Christmas Fair took place in Weaver Square, Northwich on Saturday 3rd December 2011. We had a great turnout with 12 local charities supporting the event with goods for sale, raffles, tombolas and even selling kisses with Mrs Santa.
GRANGE SCHOOL XMAS FAIR 2011
We spent a cold but enjoyable day at the Grange School Fair. Beeston Animal Health had donated items for us to sell to raise money for charity. On the day we raised £168.35 which we are donating to Cheshire Dogs Home. Thank you to everyone who helped us to raise this fantastic amount. Pictured is vet Bruce Waddell modelling a rather fetching cow print apron and his Tibetan Terrier Lettie.
VET ON THE RADIO (OCTOBER 2011)
Our regular quarterly 'vet on the radio' spot on Silk Fm featured Paul Unsworth from Broom Cottage in Wilmslow. The show was hosted by DJ Mark Blackman who was standing in for regular host Phil Rodgers. Paul answered a number of listeners questions on air and also delved into his background and experience of 30 years as a vet in New Zealand.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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WILLOWS WALK 2011
Well despite all my promises it still managed to rain again this year. Despite this we had a good turnout of walkers and their four legged friends who helped us to raise money
The money is still coming in but so far the event has raised £425 which will be given to two local animal charities to help look after and rehome unwanted, unloved and abandoned animals in the area. We want to say a massive Thank You to everyone who took part on the day and also to Four Paws Pet services, The Well Heeled Dog Club and Cheshire Pet Supplies who made donations to the fund.

 

 
WILMSLOW SHOW
Paul and the team from Broom Cottage were delighted to be asked to sponsor the dog show at Wilmlow Show this year. In addition to sponsoring the event they also had a stand to raise money for local animal charities. They had a great day in the sunshine talking to local pet owners.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ANGELS RESCUE
A desperate plea from a small charity in Macclesfield came to our attention recently. One of our clients had seen an article about them on a local website. They are a mother and daughter team who care for unloved and mistreated animals from their home. In addition to cats and dogs they also loan a field and stables to care for horses and operate a re- homing and fostering programme. They are incredibly passionate about what they do. The charity were desperate for a new computer system as their old one has stopped working. We rang the charity and after discussing their needs were pleased to buy a new laptop for them. They would still like some more help. Their current requirements are for a handyman to do some odd jobs, donations of pet food, cat litter, hay and straw and they are also looking for any local people who could give up a bit of time to help with the animals. If you can help in any way please contact Angela or Emma on 01625 421467 or 07737 126990.
 
VET ON THE RADIO
Ian Hopkins, one of our vets at Holly House in Knutsford was the guest of Phil Rodgers on Silk FM last week. Ian talked about some of his experiences as a vet over the years and also answered listeners questions on diverse subjects including diarrhoea, arthritis, alergies and behaviour. The station have invited us back in October for another session.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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THE GRANGE SCHOOL SUMMER FAIR
We had an enjoyable day at The Grange School Summer Fair in Northwich. We nearly had a disaster as the lady who was bringing along a selection of animals for us had car trouble and was unable to get there. Luckily one of our vets had a litter of adorable Chihuahua puppies which proved to be very popular with children and parents alike. We apologise to the parents who had to endure cries of 'Can we have one ?' all the way home !!!
WOODPECKERS
Our marketing manager, David, was sat watching Springwatch recently. As they were showing images of a woodpecker feeding its young he glanced out at his bird table and luckily having his camera to hand managed to snap this shot. What a coincidence.
CHESHIRE SHOW
We had a busy two days at the Cheshire Show this year with three stands - Small Animal, Equine and Farm Animal. The weather wasn't as good as last year but stayed dry for the majority of the time. On the small animal stand our vets and nurses had the glamorous job of selling Poo Bag holders to raise money for The Retired Cheshire Police Dogs Benevolent Fund and we are delighted to say we raised £252 for this great cause. A massive thank you to everybody who contributed.
It was great to see so many of our clients stop by for a chat and bringing their dogs over so that we could have a fuss of them !!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BLOODHOUND LIFELINE CHARITY
Our staff from Abbeycroft supported the local Bloodhound Lifeline charity with a stall and some sponsorship at their local event. Staffed by volunteers the charity rehomes unwanted and unloved bloodhounds and rely on public support and donations to provide this service.The girls gave away a stuffed toy cuddly bloodhound at the local Lifeline Companion Dog Show and sponsored the 'Best in Show' classification which was won by the adorable Italian Spinone in the photograph
CHARITY RAFFLE
To celebrate Easter our Winsford surgery have made up a hamper of treats for rabbit owners which they are raffling to raise money for the PDSA. Unfortunately the PDSA charity box was recently stolen from our surgery during a break in so we hope the raffle will help to replace the stolen money. Please can you support this raffle by calling into the surgery and buying a ticket.
NEW SURGERY
We are pleased to announce that we have added another surgery to our group. Due to the retirement of Mick Christian we have taken over his surgery in Kelsall. Mick has retired after 32 years and we wish him and his wife Maggie a very happy retirement. The Kelsall surgery will be run by a long standing Willows Vet, Fiona Wall. Fiona is part of the community in Kelsall having lived there for 5 years with her family, 2 dogs and cat.
VET OF THE YEAR NOMINATION
We are delighted to announce that Jamie Peloso, a veterinary surgeon at Abbeycroft Veterinary Surgery in Northwich has been nominated for the prestigious Pet Plan Vet of the Year award. The award ceremony takes place later this month at a glittering ceremony in Birmingham. Well done to Jamie.
HALE SURGERY BECOMES A FILM SET
Our Station House surgery at Hale has been chosen as a location for a scene in a new comedy drama ' Mount Pleasant' which is to be aired on Sky 1 in September. The drama is being shot on location in South Manchester and features Bobby Ball, Pauline Collins and Sally Lyndsay among the cast. We were approached by the production company Tiger Aspect to use the surgery and were offered a fee which we will be donating to local animal charities. Bobby Ball was really lovely and happy to pose for photographs with the staff.
NEW PET WEBSITE
If you are looking for local pet services then everything you need can be found on a brand new website we are sponsoring www.thecheshirepetnetwork.co.uk 
The site will contain listings for groomers, dog trainers, pet taxis, dog sitters, dog walkers, pet shops etc etc. The site has only just launches (March 1st) but will be updated on a regular basis with new businesses being added as they join.
Site visitors can also add any pet related items they wish to dispose of to the pet items for sale section and there will also be a selection of special offers and events listings on the site.
Please take a look at the site
CHARITY DONATIONS
We always help local animal charities when we can either by fund raising events or by direct donations. We are pleased to announce that we have just made donations to Phoenix Dog Rescue, Warrington Animal Welfare and Helsby Cat Rescue all of whom provide much needed services.
WINNINGTON PARK RFC SPONSORSHIP
For many years Willows Veterinary Group have had an association with Winnington Park RFC in Northwich.. Many of our vets have over the years played for the club and we currently have 3 vets playing for the first and second teams. We are delighted to announce that we are now proud first team joint shirt sponsors (Along with the Tiger's Head in Norley). Winnington Park RFC are very active in the local community and have a very active programme for both Juniors and Seniors.
CHARITY CHRISTMAS CARD SALES
Our Abbeycroft and Holly House branches were selling christmas cards on behalf of Lower Moss Wood Wildlife Rescue Centre near Knutsford. A big thank you to everyone that purchased cards. We managed to raise over £177 for the charity.
 
 
 
OLDEST PET COMPETITION
In November as part of our senior pet campaign we asked you to send in details of your pet as part of our quest to find Cheshire's Oldest Pet. We had a fantastic response. We clearly have a lot of clients that look after their animals and had many 16, 17 and 18 year old pets. One pet however stood out. Sheeba is over 26 years old and has lived with her owner Glenis Bagley for the last 23 years. She has been featured in the local press and also in The Sun newspaper. Glenis won a goody bag for her and Sheeba and also a year's subscription to Your Dog magazine. Furthermore Sheeba's is set to become a national superstar as Your Dog magazine has agreed to feature Sheebs in a forthcoming issue. During 2011 we will have more subscriptions to Your Dog magazine and it's sister publication Your Cat to be won so keep visiting the website for details
VET ON THE RADIO
Fiona Hughes from our Winsford Branch was the guest of Big Al last week on his Vet slot. As well as giving useful advice about hazards facing pets at Christmastime and in the cold weather Fiona also answered listeners questions
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SCHOOL VISIT
Vets and nurses from Holly House made a couple of visits to St Vincent's Primary School in Knutsford. In total they saw 5 classes of children ranging from 5 years to 11 years old - a total of around 120 children.
The children were shown numerous radiographs of problems such as broken bones and marbles in the stomach. Ian and Jacqui talked to the children about micro chipping and showed them an actual implant. 2 volunteers from each classed dressed up, one as a Veterinary Surgeon and the other as an Anaesthetist. They wore a surgical gown, face mask and large animal gloves. They 'operated' on Bruno (our teddy dog) to repair a fractured plastic bone by inserting a metal pin. Then they bandaged the leg
We passed several real animal teeth around and jars of ticks/fleas/worms !!!
On the second visit Ian and Jacqui took three little guests in the form of tiny kittens that one of the nurses had hand reared. The younger children were very excited
 
 
THE GRANGE SCHOOL CHRISTMAS FAIR
Tom, Fiona and David spent a cold few hours at The Grange School Christmas Fair on 4th December. As well as giving out advice about the problems facing pets at this festive time, we also had a selection of pet gifts for sale. In addition we ran a competition to win a Teddy Bear which was donated by one of our customers at The Laurels. All the money raised we decided to donate to Northwich Guinea Pig and Rabbit Rescue. We raised just under £100 on the day. Once again Fiona's Chihuahuas proved to be very poular. Thank you to everbody that supported this worthwhile cause.
 
XMAS RAFFLES
The Laurels surgery in Runcorn are holding a raffle in aid of the stray animal fund. They have a number of fantastic teddy bears as prizes donated by their customers Mrs Matthews and Mrs Oulton.
The staff at Acorn Surgery at West Kirkby have put a hamper together as a raffle prize. All the money generated will go to a local animal charity.
 
XMAS CARDS
Our Abbeycroft and Holly House surgeries are selling packs of Christmas cards on behalf of Lower Moss Wood Wildlife Rescue and Education Centre. Buying these cards is a great way of spreading Christmas joy whilst also helping our needy wildlife. Please call into either surgery.
 
FRIENDS REUNITED
We had a lovely end to a sad story this week. On Sunday 31st October a black spaniel was brought into our Hartford surgery. The dog had been found wondering the streets in the Acton Bridge area. We scanned the dog and luckily he had been microchipped so we looked up the owner on the register and found, surprisingly, that he lived in Chorley. We phoned the owner Mr Heron who was just about to board a plane for a trip abroad. Mr Heron told us that the dog was called Chester and that he had been stolen from his kennel in Chorley back in january when he was just a few months old. We looked after Chester until Mr Heron returned from overseas and on Wednesday Chester and his owner were reunited. Mr Heron stated "I just gave up hope of ever seeing him again, the shock and delight at getting him back was incredible".
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHESHIRE FM
Fiona Wall was the guest of Big Al on Cheshire FM on Wednesday 3rd November. Fiona covered such topics as 'pets and fireworks', caring for older pets and puppy socialisation. We will be giving pet care advice out on Cheshire FM on the first Wednesday of each month from 11.15am. We will post the topics we will be covering in advance on the Forthcoming Events page of this website so if you have any questions you can e mail them to big.al@cheshirefm.com and we will try to answer them
 
BROWNIE VISIT
We recently played host to the local Brownies at our Hartford Hospital. Twenty four brownies along with their leaders came for a talk and tour as part of their 'animal' badge. The brownies learned about the role of the vet and even got to dress one of the leaders up in full operating theatre clothing including hat, mask, gown, gloves and overshoes. There followed a walk through tour of the facility.
 
 
VISIT BY SWEDISH VETS
 
On 16th September The Willows played host to a group of Swedish Veterinary Surgeons and Nurses from Hund & Katt Kliniken Bista. The group, comprising 3 vets and 7 nurses are from one of the larger independent practices in Orebro, a medium sized town situated between Stockholm and Gothenburg.
To facilitate the trip our visitors had to close their practice for 3 days. The trip had two main purposes, team building for their business and to gain an insight into the workings of the UK veterinary practice.
Organised by Dechra, the Willows was chosen to showcase the UK veterinary industry due to the range of facilities that could be demonstrated from the small animal hospital in Northwich, the equine hospital in Allostock through to retailing at Beeston Animal Health. A bonus was that the students were able to witness the MRI scanner at hartford.
 
HARTFORD FETE & THE WILLOWS DOG SHOW
Thank you to everyone who came to see us at the Hartford Village Fete and to the people who entered our dog show. The winners were: Best Puppy: 1st Twiggy Tansey, 2nd Amber Dewison, 3rd Sammy Caulfield. Best Pedigree: 1st Chester Adams, 2nd Jack Oliver, 3rd Fizz Whitcombe, 4th Oscar Seddon. Best Mongrel or Crossbred: 1st Mabel Wall, 2nd Bruce Tanset, 3rd Twiggy Tansey. Waggiest Tail: 1st Ollie Wier, 2nd Chester Adams, 3rd Rupert Foulkes, 4th Bruce Tansey. Most Alike Dog and Owner: 1st Amber Dewison, 2nd Chester Adams, 3rd Rupert Foulkes. Best 6 Legs: 1st Ollie Wier, 2nd Chester Adams, 3rd Tattie Eccles, 4th Bruce Tansey. Best Golden Oldie: 1st Maddie Astbury, 2nd Rupert Foulkes, 3rd Mabel Wall. Best Child Handler: 1st Ben Whitcombe and Fizz, 2nd Naomi and Lucy Crowder with Izzy, 3rd Jamie Bennion with Jack. A big thank you to Fern Wright from Four Paws Doggie Day Care at Cuddington who was our judge on the day.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LYMM PRE- SCHOOL TALK
David Tweedle from our Lymm Surgery recently gave a talk to the children at Lymm Village Hall Pre-School. The talk formed part of the childrens' 'Careers Week' where the children learned about the important work done in the Community.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE GRANGE SCHOOL SUMMER FAIR
We had an  enjoyable time, baked in glorious sunshine at The Grange School Fair on 25th June. Our friends at Stockley Farm joined us for the day and brought some of their petting animals - rabbits, guinnea pigs and chickens which were a great hit with visitors.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The highlight of the day was the Donkey Derby - which brought back memories of It's a Knockout as grown men and women in costumes hurtled down the racetrack.
Although it was a Donkey Derby we did spot a camel, cow and reindeer taking part !!! Willows Veterinary Surgeon Giles Constant gave each of the participants a thorough health check prior to the race and was seen to be donning a full length arm glove on one occasion. Thank you to The Grange for inviting us along.
 
 
OUR SMALLEST CLIENT ?
We just thought you may like to see some pictures of this tiny baby bat that was brought into our surgery by a member of the public. It has now been taken to a sanctuary by our local 'batman'.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHESHIRE SHOW
We spent an enjoyable couple of days in the sunshine at Cheshire Show. This year we had the small animal, farm and equine sides of our group represented. The show was very busy - right until England kicked off on Wednesday afternoon !!!! It was great to see so many of our clients. The stands were managed by our vets and nurses and many people came along to ask for help and advice with their animals.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RACE FOR LIFE
Sally Guthrie, a Veterinary Nurse from our Winsford Surgery recently took part in the Race For Life. Sally did an excellent job and raised £162 for Cancer Research. Sally ran a very credible time for a self confessed couch potato of 45 minutes for the 5k run.
 
 
 
 
 
 
92.5 Cheshire FM
On Tuesday May 18th Fiona Wall, a veterinary Surgeon based at our Winsford branch appeared live on 92.5 Cheshire FM as the guest of presenter Big Al. Fiona was there to answer questions posed by listeners needing advice with their own pets which among others included ' My cat has bad breath -why?', Would a Guinea Pig make a good indoor pet? and why is my 12 year old African Grey parrot losing its feathers?
Fiona was able to give advice on these and a whole range of topics some of which caused much amusement to Big Al who had never heard of Puppy Parties and thought she was pulling his leg with tales of Beef and Poultry flavoured toothpaste.
When talking about owners bringing in urine samples for their pets she recanted the tale of the specimen that was brought in. The specimen showed some really odd results with sky high protein levels. On closer inspection the jar used to collect the sample was found to be a weightlifters protein powder container !!!
Big Al has invited Fiona back in a couple of weeks to chat more and answer more questions.
Cheshire FM is the local station covering Northwich, Winsford, Middlewich and surrounding areas with local news, weather, travel and a great selection of music.