Meet the Team - All of us

  • Megan Luffman BVMS MRCVS

    Megan joined the small animal team at Capontree in June 2018 after a brief spell in mixed practice following her graduation from Glasgow University in the summer of 2017. 

    Megan is interested in all aspects of small animal practice, but is developing a particular interest in medicine and ultrasonography. 


  • Megan Williams

     

    Megan joined the Capontree Vets team in February 2010. Initially a part time member of our reception staff, she has continued to increase the hours which she works.  Megan divides her time between both Brampton and our Haltwhistle branch, where she can be found greeting our small animal client’s on reception.  Megan is also involved in the running of our popular Capontree Platinum Health Club along with Fiona.

    Megan, who lives in Haltwhistle, spends a lot of her spare time walking along with her dog, Lola, a Labrador well known to many local dog owners as she likes to say hello to everyone they meet along the way!  

    At the weekends, Megan enjoys catching up with friends and family.  She also enjoys taking holidays abroad seeking the sunshine and a taste of different cultures; having sampled Africa she is now looking to visit parts of Asia.


  • Pauline Graham - Director CVPM

    My career in the veterinary world started over 35 years ago as a Saturday girl, joining the practice at that time “Carnegie and Taylor” based at Longtown Road, Brampton. 
    On leaving school I was offered a job at the practice as Nurse/Receptionist, which also allowed me to work on the family farm at The Banks, Lanercost.  I was trained with MAFF as a lay blood tester and tested cows for Brucellosis within the practice. 
    As time progressed my interests focused on administration and practice management.  In 2000 I studied for and passed my “Certificate in Veterinary Practice Management”.
    In 2006 I was appointed as a Director at Capontree Vets and in 2012 I was President of the Veterinary Practice Management Association (VPMA).  
    Currently I am also a Director for the XL Vets Broomhall Buying Services Ltd and a council member for the VPMA.
     
    With my role I enjoy working with and meeting people; the many different characters of life means no day is ever the same.  It's a pleasure to work with motivated and positive staff with a professional approach to life.
     
    In my spare time I enjoy walking my dog, travelling -  especially skiing and cycling in Europe, socialising with family and friends and generally being involved in community life.

  • Rachael Todd BVSc MRCVS

    Rachael joined Capontree after graduating from the University of Liverpool in July 2019. She mainly works out of the Longtown branch covering all species but enjoys getting out and about on farm. 

    She enjoys lambing and calving, having worked on farms at home during her holidays from university. 

    After growing up in Northumberland she loves to spend her spare time outdoors, running up hills in the lakes or travelling back home to get out on the north sea.


  • Ruth Armstrong RVN

    Ruth joined us in July 2015 after completing her A-Levels at William Howard School.  She then completed a Business Administration course before going on to complete her veterinary nursing qualification at Newcastle in late 2018 making her our most recent Registered Veterinary Nurse.

    Ruth is to be found at all three of our sites, and she enjoys running weight clinics and puppy checks.

    Ruth enjoys spending time with family, friends and her animals; she enjoys taking her dog on walks in the countryside. As well as this Ruth is an active member of Walton Young Farmers and participates in many of the their competitions and social events.


  • Sarah Baxter Bsc

    Sarah joined us at the beginning of April 2016. Sarah studied Animal Science for 3 years at Nottingham University and has experience of interpersonal relations in a wide variety of areas. 

    Away from work Sarah enjoys watching Carlisle United, prize-winning baking (always welcome at tea breaks!) and running. 


  • Sarah Bulman RVN

    Sarah started working at Capontree Vets in 2010 after completing a diploma in animal management at Newton Rigg. She qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2014. She gained her qualification from Newcastle College.

    Sarah lives in Dalston and has been a member of Raughton Head Young Farmers since 2003, she enjoys entering competitions and making new friends.

    Her other hobbies include walking her dogs around the Dalston area, Allonby Beach, Talkin Tarn and in the Lake District. Sarah enjoys going to the gym and attending body combat lessons. Another much appreciated hobby is baking, with Sarah competing in local shows and often bringing in baking for the rest of the staff to sample.

    At work she is especially interested in working with medical cases and conducting nurse clinics.


  • Sarah Callaghan

    Sarah joined our reception team in 2018 and will be seen mainly at Brampton and Haltwhistle surgeries. 

    Sarah is an avid animal lover;  when she isn’t working she is busy volunteering for a dog rescue charity.


  • Serena Wood RVN

    *Serena is currently on maternity leave after the arrival of her second child*

    Serena has been a Registered Veterinary Nurse for over 10 years.  She joined Capontree Vets in June 2006 after doing her Veterinary Nurse training at a small animal practice in Carlisle.  Previous to starting her training she worked as a nurse at a small animal practice in Blackburn.

    Serena has a keen interest in small animal orthopaedics, physiotherapy and rehabilitation and also weight management clinics.  She completed a Veterinary Nurse Merit Award in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation in August 2013.

    Away from work Serena plays solo cornet with Langholm Town Band and enjoys playing with them at local events and various competitions throughout the borders and Scotland.  She also keeps herself active by training for varying length runs, regularly participating in 5km parkruns and various routes through woodland and up hills in and around her home town of Langholm.


  • Stephanie Hatton RVN

    Stephanie has just returned home to the North East and has joined us as a fully-qualified locum nurse while other staff are on maternity leave 


  • Val Bowman

    Val joined the practice in 2004 and can be found working on reception at both our Brampton and Haltwhistle branches.

    Together with her husband, Val, farms a beef and sheep farm, near Brampton. 


  • Zoe Mitton BSc RVN

    Zoe has recently joined Capontree after a year spent living and working in Surrey in a small animal practice. She qualified from Harper Adams University from their Veterinary Nursing and Practice Management course in 2018. Whilst at University, she took a keen interest in the social life and welfare issues of the student body, standing on the Students Union and Warden teams for a year each. 

    Growing up in the Black Country near Birmingham, farm experiences were few and far between, so moving to mixed practice in Brampton has certainly been a welcome challenge. Zoe most enjoys nursing medical cases, finding helping pets back to health very rewarding. 

    Her weekends are spent with the company of her pet rats Sherlock and Watson, enjoying a variety of motor sport events and exploring her way through the Lake District and north into Scotland.