Bristol nurse's passion for job gains her a 'vet Oscar' nomination

A Bristol vet nurse has been shortlisted for a "vet Oscar".

Lisa Strickland, who works at Viking Vets in Henbury, has beaten hundreds of others to be shortlisted in the category of vet nurse of the year in the annual Petplan Awards – known in the business as the vet Oscars.

Lisa, 41, has spent 14 years as a vet nurse, working for the Henbury practice since it opened 10 years ago.

She said: "I have always loved animals, so it is my dream job, and I worked hard to get here.

"When I left school I was working in a bank but did night classes in chemistry and biology because I wanted to become a vet. It was a bit tough balancing that with my job, so although I passed I didn't get good enough grades.

"So then I went to college and trained to be a vet nurse."

Lisa, who has a cat and a dog living with her in her Kingswood home, was nominated by her colleague Michelle Cox.

Lisa said: "I was so shocked to be nominated and shortlisted for the award. I was touched that Michelle thought I deserved it."

Michelle, who also works as a vet nurse at Viking Vets, said: "There are so many things that stand out about Lisa. I have had the pleasure of working on Lisa's team for the last 14 months and what struck me about her from the moment I started was the amount of dedication and passion she has for her role.

"I nominated her because I thought this truly remarkable person deserves huge recognition as she is an inspiration to us all."

Alison Andrews, Petplan's head of marketing, said: "This year we are celebrating the 11th anniversary of the Veterinary Awards which were launched so pet owners could thank their practice for the tireless and wonderful work they carry out.

"We are delighted that the awards, which we often hear referred to as the 'vet Oscars', are still going strong.

"This year we have received a great number of nominations and the quality and standard really challenged the skills of our esteemed judging panel.

"We would like to wish those short listed every success on the night."

The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony that will take place on April 8 at Birmingham Town Hall.