Matt qualified in 1999 from Bristol University. He joined a mixed practice in the forest of Dean where he built up his general practice experiences. It wasn’t long before he realised his interests lay in the cat and dog side of the work and so built up his small animal skills. In particular Matt loves surgery, both soft tissue and orthopaedics. Since joining the practice in 2003 Matt has further developed his surgical skills and now covers most of our surgical work. Matt also became a partner of the practice in 2007. Previously a very keen all-round sportsman, playing for Halifax football club youths and Bristol badminton team, he was never short of exercise, especially owning two lively Boxers! However, since the birth of his first son Ben, he has little time for this and now spends most of his free time doing DIY when Ben is asleep.

Katherine Edwards BVSc MRCVS

Kathy started with the practice in 2010 after taking a year off from veterinary medicine to travel the world. This gave her invaluable experiences which she could bring back to her working life once she returned. Having graduated from Bristol University in 2002 Kathy worked in a number of private veterinary clinics of various sizes, including a year at a clinic specializing in emergency medicine. This has enabled her to experience a wide variety of positions concentrating on different aspects of veterinary medicine. She particularly enjoys feline medicine, ultrasonography as well as emergency and critical care. Outside of work Kathy is currently attending Spanish classes which I suspect she will put into use as she is still keen to embark on further travelling. When she is not planning her next escape she likes to relax by attending the gym or enjoying a meal out  with friends  

Practice Manager

Carla Foulds V.N. N.E.B.S.

Carla joined the  practice in 1990 and qualified as a veterinary nurse (with  credit) in 1993. In 1995 she moved into the position of  practice management and subsequently studied for and  gained her NEBS Certificate in Management. Carla has the unenviable task of ensuring that the practice runs smoothly. As a long served member of  the practice, both as a veterinary nurse and as a manager, she  has acquired an in depth knowledge of the requirements needed to maintain an efficient, professional team. Carla also has a keen interest in is animal behaviour. Having first hand experience of  living with a dog with long term anxiety problems, she has a great deal of empathy for clients having behavioural difficulties with their pets. She is currently studying towards the ESVPS nursing certificate in Animal Behaviour. Outside of work Carla enjoys keeping fit and spending time with her two dogs. Hence all three can often be spotted jogging together!! She also has a keen interest in British Wildlife and photography.

Head Nurse

Tracy Hession RVN

Tracy joined the practice in 1999 as a trainee veterinary nurse. She passed her final nursing exams in June 2002. Following this Tracy studied for and gained her a Graduate City and Guilds qualification "Veterinary nursing of exotic species and British wild life" in 2004. Tracy has recently accepted the role of  Deputy Head Nurse and all the responsibilities which this position entails. Her main professional interests include the nursing of both medical and surgical cases. She particularly enjoys assisting in theatre, and with rabbit dentistry cases. She maintains an interest in all types of animals in her free time, and continues to care for several pets including Twix the Praying Mantis. Tracy also likes nothing more than to take her rescue dog Oscar out for long walks. Im sure Oscar enjoys this too!! 

Liz Stamper RVN

Liz initially visited the practice as a work experience student whilst still at school and subsequently to this decided to apply for a nurse training position in 2001. She gained her veterinary nursing qualification in 2004 and following this went on to study and gain her Graduate City and Guilds qualification "Veterinary nursing of exotic species and British  wild life" in 2007. Since this time she has made several trips abroad, most notably a trip to to Africa where she spent 4 weeks at a wildlife rehabilitation centre and a longer six month working and travelling trip to Australia where she spent 3 months at a 24 hour emergency veterinary practice. Liz has a keen interest in exotic medicine and surgery and prefers to work in this area of the practice whenever possible. Outside work she enjoys walking in the countryside as well as visiting art galleries and attending the theatre whenever she can.

Rebecca Lindsay RVN

Becci started with the practice in 2010. Prior to starting with Ashleigh Vets she has worked in various private veterinary clinics, a large veterinary referral hospital, as well as livery stables and a Zoo! Because of this she has built up a wide variety of knowledge of different animal species and their care. She began her professional career by gaining her BTEC Diploma in Animal Care in 2001. Following this she achieved her Foundation Certificate in Education in 2006 and then went on to train and qualify as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2010. Most of her veterinary nurse training was completed at the Small Animal Veterinary Hospital in Liverpool. Becci has a varied and accomplished employment background, which has enabled her to diversify on her career path. She has spent some time teaching at Myerscough College, as well as giving regular talks to the public when she worked at Blackpool Zoological Park. She has a keen interest in exotic species especially reptiles and amphibians. She currently has several Boa Constrictors and Pythons which she regularly breeds from and attends shows with. She enjoys photography and has and has a keen interest in wildlife. If her life wasnt busy enough already,  she also enjoys walks with her very bouncy Labradoodle Shadow

Roxanne Elliston RVN

Roxi started with our practice in 2010 having gained her BSc(hons) in Veterinary Nursing and Practice Management at Harper Adams University in Shropshire. Whilst training for her degree she worked in both a large veterinary hospital and various smaller private clinics which enabled her to gain a varied exposure to all aspects of veterinary medicine. Even before she embarked on her nursing career Roxi often volunteered at a local animal shelter. The experience at the shelter strengthened her resolve to follow her chosen path of a career in veterinary medicine. Since relocating to Manchester to take up her position at Ashleigh she has adopted two lively kittens, who I'm sure provide hours of entertainment. But when she does have spare time she enjoys reading, apparently anything!  and watching films of which she is a keen horror fan, the scarier the better. In her professional life Roxi enjoys working in theatre and has a particular interest in anaesthesia and surgical nursing.

Sarah Hoad RVN

Sarah started her career as a trainee veterinary nurse at her local practice. During this time she gained her Diploma in Animal Care. She started with our practice in September 2000 and continued her nurse training, gaining her fully qualified status in 2002. By 2004 she had also studied for and gained her Graduate City and Guilds qualification "Veterinary nursing of exotic species and British wild life". Sarah recently made the decision to spend more time on reception as she enjoys the contact with both the animals, and their owners. When it comes to house visits Sarah is usually first to volunteer, and her cheerful assistance is always appreciated. She is currently studying on an access course to higher education. Once she has completed this she will be able to undertake further study at degree level if she chooses. Sarah has recently taken up cycling and now travels several miles to work each day barring only the worst weather conditions. In her spare time Sarah has a keen interest in fitness and nutrition. I think its fair to say she will try some unusual diets, but she remains a very healthy member of the team and rarely succumbs to the seasonal coughs and colds which effect the rest of us!! 

Rebecca Lea V.N. Bsc(hons)

Becca gained her veterinary nurse qualification in 1999 after completing her BSc in Agriculture and Enviromental Science with Honours in Animal Science in 1995. She began her nursing career within a multi-disciplinary practice which specialized in companion animals, birds and rabbits in London. This gave her an opportunity to experience many different species within a referral centre and attain her V.N. status. Following her move to Manchester she took up another position within a veterinary referral centre. At this stage she was able to use her vast knowledge in the training of student nurses within the practice. Becca took up a nursing position within our practice in 2001 as she missed the contact with exotic species. She then studied for and gained a Graduate City and Guilds qualification "Veterinary nursing of exotic species and British wild life". Following this she made the decision to take a position as a receptionist to increase her client contact where she remains today!! Becca has in addition to this taken to writing, and has recently completed a co written chapter which is set to appear in the latest edition of the "BSAVA Manual of Exotic Pet and Wildlife Nursing" Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her two children. She often volunteers to help out at her sons football team events and currently holds the position of club treasurer.

Zoie Estherby

Zoie is our newest recruit to the reception team. She started at the practice in March 2010 having come from a varied customer based background. Zoie started her career as a 15 year old school leaver when she took a position in a local veterinary practice as a trainee nurse. She was well respected and trusted even at this early age and moved quickly to being responsible for the branch surgery. After 2 1/2 years in this position she spent time in various other customer based roles whilst she brought up her son Louis. Zoie has brought a wealth of customer care experience to the practice through her past employment. She particularly enjoys the face to face contact with our clients that she gets working on reception, and building a rapport with both clients and pets alike. Zoie is very outgoing and expresses this in her spare time interests. She has recently appeared in a local theatre production of "Singing in the Rain" and she tells me that one of her ambitions would be to be a professional dancer!! Zoie is very family orientated and loves spending time with her husband and son outside of work.

Louise Beeley

Louise started with Ashleigh Veterinary Centre in 2005.  She began her career caring for animals in a local boarding facility. Whilst here she was fortunate enough to also assist in rehabilitating animals in the on site pet gynasium. With 5 years of experience working in Manchester Dog's Home, and a further 2 years with Companion Care Veterinary Practice, Louise has gained much experience in the field of small animal care. She is passionate about animals and has also volunteered in the past to help with the care and rehoming of animals at her local RSPCA rescue centre. Louise has further extended her skills by studying for and gaining her NVQ level 2 in Animal Care and her Diploma as an Animal Nursing Assistant. In her spare time Louise loves walking her dogs and has a very special talent with icing sugar. Having studied at night school Louise creates beautifully decorated cakes. They taste very nice too!! She also enjoys spectating at  WWE wrestling events, and has a couple of competitors whom she particularly enjoys watching.

Kim Joyce

Kim started with Ashleigh in 2008 after completing a degree in Wildlife Conservation Zoo Biology and Behaviour. Prior to this she studied for and gained her Btec National Diploma in Animal Care followed by a Btec National Diploma in Animal Management. Kim spent lots of her time volunteering in various animal related establishments in order to gain a varied experience of animal care prior to embarking on her career. She particularly enjoys spending time with the cats in our cattery and looks forward to welcoming new boarders, as well as making regular visitors feel like one of her own family of pets. Kim prides herself at knowing each individual's personality and therefore what they do and don't like!! In her spare time Kim likes to spend time with her pets and enjoys keeping fit

         

Amy Blakesly 

Amy joined the practice in 2007. Prior to this she attended college where she studied for and gained her Btec National Diploma in Animal Management. After leaving school Amy worked in various animal related enviroments to build up her experience. She started her career at a local dog groomers, moving on to a small animal and aquatics pet shop, and finally on to a local livery stables before accepting a position as an Auxiliary Nurse at Ashleigh. Amy now has a few years of experience caring for our cattery boarders and can recognise many of our regular visitors by sight alone! She has recently taken on the extra responsibility of ensuring the smooth running of our in house laboratory service and is also interested in canine behaviour and training.  In her spare time Amy likes to relax with her family and spend time with her cat Percival, or Percy to his closest friends. She is hoping to start a new hobby this year, growing her own veggies. I hope she brings some in for us all to sample. 

Rosie Newton BScZoo

Rosie joined the practice in 2010. Having gained her BSc in Zoology from the University of Sheffield in 2009, Rosie spent several months volunteering for the PDSA within one of their retail shops. This provided lots of practical experience of working within a customer orientated position as well as assisting a very important animal charity raise much needed funds. During this period Rosie also spent time at Manchester Museum. Here she was involved in cataloging the many insects held with the entomology department. Even prior to starting her degree Rosie was happy to volunteer at her local veterinary practice where she became a trusted member of the team, assisting in all areas of daily life. As you can see Rosie is very enthusiastic about working with animals. Her interests are varied but she finds animal behaviour and evolution most compelling. She enjoys watching natural history and wildlife documentaries, usually with her three cats to keep her company. When she isn't doing anything animal related, one of her favourite past times is baking cakes. Of course everybody at the practice encourages this as much as possible!