Lucky Henley Vet Nurse Drives Home her Win
It was an excited group of staff, clients and patients that congregated outside of The Veterinary Centre in Henley-on-Thames to witness the arrival of a brand new Fiat 500 for lucky vet nurse, Lisa Reading. The trendy Italian car was the top prize for the Hill’s Drive Nutrition Competition and it has been an agonizingly long two weeks for Lisa since her surprise win was announced at the 2014 British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) congress. The lorry rounded the corner with its precious cargo just as the sun broke the clouds, to smiles and cheers from the Henley crowd as they celebrated the well-deserved success of a local girl.
Lisa, along with thousands of other vet nurses across the UK and Ireland entered Drive Nutrition for a chance to win a whole host of prizes, including the highly-coveted car. By actively making nutritional recommendations to every pet, every time and completing various online games, tasks and mini-competitions; nurses collected points – each of which was an entry into the competition. This meant that the more points earned, the greater the chance of winning. However, just a single point could have been enough to clinch the car and this year, Lisa triumphed to bring home the top prize.
Even after seeing the car appear round the corner, Lisa couldn’t believe it was really hers, “It still feels like a dream - I don’t think it’ll sink in until I drive it home to show my boyfriend. Having a brand new car will certainly make a change from our ten year old Astra which is currently on its last legs.” Once the car was safely on firm ground, Lisa eagerly jumped in and proudly took her new wheels for a quick spin – but not before excitedly taking a photo of the ‘0 miles’ display on the dashboard. The distinctive duo were clearly already having quite an impact, stopping onlookers in their tracks as they tried to sneak a closer look. Lisa thinks she could get used to being a local celebrity, “It’s great to have so many people supporting me and the practice. I absolutely love the funky design and the fact that it makes the car stand out. The only downside is that people will be able to recognise my poor parking!”
Erik D’Arcy-Donnelly, veterinary surgeon at The Veterinary Centre, is thrilled that Lisa has won, “Like all of our vet nurses Lisa is dedicated, diligent and extremely caring; loved by clients and colleagues alike. She’s got a great sense of humour and is an absolute pleasure to work with. The car’s fun-loving look certainly suits her bubbly personality. I can’t think of a more deserving winner and am really looking forward to going for a drive with her.”
The annual competition has two aims: to raise awareness about the importance of giving good nutritional advice to every patient in every consultation and to say a great big thank you to all the hard-working vet nurses across the nation. Adrian Pratt, Head of the Veterinary Channel, UK and Ireland for Hill’s Pet Nutrition, was delighted to be able to hand the keys over and wave Lisa off on her first drive, “Vet nurses’ hard work and dedication really do change the lives of people and their pets, so we, at Hill’s, feel honoured to be able to reward their dedication and enthusiasm. We hope Lisa gets a lot of enjoyment from her new car – she’s certainly an extremely worthy winner.”
Without vet nurses like Lisa, the good work of veterinary practices like The Veterinary Centre in Henley just wouldn’t be possible and Hill’s remains committed to recognising and rewarding their hard work. There are still a whole host of other prizes to be won in this year’s Drive Nutrition competition, which ends on November the 26th, so vet nurses who haven’t entered already should visit www.hillspet.co.uk and www.hillsvet.ie to avoid missing out.
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