A Cheshire veterinary group has scooped a raft of awards including riding away with a gong for the best equine practice in the whole of the UK.
Ashbrook Equine Hospital in Allostock, near Knutsford, which is part of Willows Veterinary Group, is the winner of the 'Best Equine Vet in the UK' category in the annual Best UK Vets awards.
A further fab give of small animal surgeries from Willows Veterinary Group, which has its headquarters in Northwich, also found themselves in the top 25 small animal vets in the country.
These include the group's flagship practice, Willows Veterinary Hospital in Hartford, The Firs Veterinary Surgery in Kelsall, Beech House Veterinary Centre in Warrington, Acorn Veterinary Centre in West Kirby, Wirral, and Manchester Vet Centre in Denton, Tameside, Greater Manchester.
Certificate of Excellence awards also went to Willows surgeries including Hampton Veterinary Centre in Malpas, Birchwood Vets in Warrington and Oakwood Referrals which is a referral service based at Willows Veterinary Hospital.
The Best UK Vets awards are run by VetHelpDirect.com, an independent reviewing platform and directory website, which invites pet owners across the UK to leave starred reviews about their local surgery. There are estimated to be around 5,500 vet practices in the UK in total.
The practices with the most 4 or 5 star reviews, monitored from February to February each year, will find themselves with the top places in the awards. There are various category winners with one overall winner being announced.
Bruce Waddell, Senior Small Animal Vet for Willows Veterinary Group, said: "The honour for us with these awards is not only the volume of our surgeries which have been recognised but the fact that it is based on client reviews.
"The best interests of our pets and their families is at the heart of everything we do and it's fantastic that our teams have been recognised in this way.
"We are so grateful to all the reviewers for their kind words and taking the time to share them.
"Reading through some of the reviews really does make you feel heartened that all the hard work, commitment and care which goes into making a Willows Veterinary Group surgery tick is appreciated by people.
"At times, we are looking after their pets during very stressful, upsetting and challenging times and it is lovely to read that people feel we do our bit to make the situations just that bit more bearable."
One of the reviewers for Willows Veterinary Hospital who awarded them five stars stated on the VetHelpDirect website; "The receptionists are great. The whole atmosphere, environment, care and understanding flows through this vets, we came to these vets at a very sad time and their compassion and understanding at the time was second to none, would definitely recommend them."
Another mentioning The Firs in Kelsall with another five-star review; said: "Staff are super friendly and helpful and will always make time for an appointment where possible. Fiona the vet is excellent, easy to talk to, so gentle with my timid dog and never rushes an appointment. Thoroughly recommend this fantastic practice."
Bruce went on to congratulate his colleagues at Ashbrook Equine Hospital, adding: "We are very proud that one of the group's equine hospitals has been named as the best equine vets in the UK and it shows the scope of our services and the top professionalism and compassion which is engrained in everything we do at Willows."
Roger Dixon, Clinical Director at Ashbrook Equine Hospital, said: "Our biggest asset, without a doubt, is our team and no matter what role they play, we are all focused collectively on client care, both owner and their horses.
"I think we also excel in being a one-stop shop for all our clients' needs with some of us travelling around the region helping horses and some of us staying put to look after the needs of the horses we are looking after at the hospital. We have great support staff who help make sure this can all happen with the upmost efficiency and professionalism.
"One of our biggest strengths and what we are always striving to be is caring, welcoming and empathetic with the people and horses who come to us. We are sometime dealing with very difficult circumstances for people and it is important to us that we never lose sight of what the client and horse might be facing.
"We treat and look after everything from much loved pets to top competition equine athletes and we make sure they are all treated with the same level of care and respect"
One reviewer on the VetHelpDirect website, said of Ashbrook: "Just the most wonderful team who always look after my horse (and me!) with the utmost professionalism and kindness. They are simply brilliant."
Roger added: "We can’t thank our clients enough for taking the time to leave such positive and kind reviews. It is rich reward for the hard work which goes on at Ashbrook."
Willows Veterinary Group offers a wealth of knowledge and expertise through a network of 25 small animal practices, a referral veterinary hospital, two equine centres and a seven-office farm practice, located across Cheshire and into Greater Manchester, North Wales, the Wirral and Staffordshire.
It is a partner group of VetParnters, a York-based veterinary group which aims through all its surgeries to deliver outstanding care for its pet patients and clients. It has a strong focus on working in partnership with its teams to invest in its people and infrastructure and provide secure and happy environments for its employees to work in.
For more information about Willows Veterinary Group, go to www.willowsvetgroup.co.uk
For more information about Ashbrook, go to www.ashbrookequinehospital.co.uk