Meet the Team - Nurses

Fiona’s previous job involved caring for animals at Walby farm park, and from there she came to Capontree Vets in 2009 and after 12 months she embarked on a 3 year course to become a registered veterinary nurse which she successfully completed in 2013. At work Fiona has recently joined the Administration team and helps organise everything from health & safety to staff rotas!

Fiona has a passion for fitness, especially running and the gym. She has successfully completed events such as Total Warrior (2014, 2015, 2016) and the Cumbrian Run (2015). Fiona’s other hobbies include travelling the world (Iceland, USA, Tanzania, Thailand), reading, films and walking her Labradors Rhogan and Thea.

After leaving school in the summer of 2014, Lindsey began working at Capontree in November that year as a Trainee Veterinary Nurse. Lindsey completed her training and became a fully qualified and Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2018. She has recently taken on more administrative duties as our Lead RVN and is as likely to be seen on reception as she is nursing a patient through the back. . 

Outside of work Lindsey is a keen horse rider and likes to hack across the Langholm countryside and is a regular at the Border Common Ridings. Being from Langholm, typically she enjoys rugby, playing for her school team side whilst a pupil. She has now turned to more of a supporter, following both local teams and Scotland whenever possible. Other spare time is spent socialising with friends and hill walking around Langholm.

Laura is one of the senior RVN's having worked at the practice since 2000; starting as a student then becoming an RVN.

She has a keen interest in surgical nursing and wound care and also enjoys doing nurse clinics and caring for our inpatients.

Outside of work Laura enjoys time with her husband and 2 daughters working on the family farm and riding their ponies .

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.

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. Currently Sarah is a Senior member of our reception team following her recent return from maternity leave

**Ruth is currently on maternity leave**

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.

Ruth is to be found at all three of our sites, and she enjoys running weight clinics and puppy checks. She has recently been recognised as a Weight Management Counsellor and is completing a qualification in Veterinary Nurse Consulting. 

Ruth enjoys spending time with family, friends and her animals; she enjoys taking her dog on walks in the countryside. Ruth got married in August 2021. 

Louise came to us for work experience in 2018 as part of her studies and joined us officially in 2019. In January 2023 she achieved her qualification as a Registered Veterinary Nurse. 

Louise says:

"I enjoy giving in-patient care and monitoring anaesthetics; I also enjoy going on farm visits. 

In my spare time, I enjoy walking my border terrier Bear and working on the family farm and travelling the Lake District."

Emily joined us to complete her placement year as a student in 2020 before graduating from Askham Bryan York as an RVN in 2022.

She also achieved her BSc (Hons) VN degree in 2025. Her favourite parts of nursing include looking after our exotic patients, emergency and critical care and she enjoys meeting our clients and their animals in nurse consultations across all 3 branches. 

 In her spare time, Emily enjoys riding her horse and exploring the countryside with her dogs as well as being an active member of Haltwhistle Young Farmers

Olivia started a regular placement with the Capontree nursing team in 2021 to gain experience. She joined the team full-time in Summer 2022 as an Animal Nursing Assistant and has now started studying at Askham Bryan College in Gateshead for her full Veterinary Nursing qualification. 

She says "I spend most of my spare time painting, reading and riding horses. Having taken up baking in lockdown, I also enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and sharing my bakes with the team. I have two much loved animal companions  - a spaniel named Buddy and a cat called Patrick"

Lucy joined our nursing team in August 2023. She started as an animal care assistant and is a Student Veterinary Nurse.  

In work, Lucy enjoys caring for our inpatients, and running samples in our in-house laboratory.

In Lucy's spare time she enjoys helping on her farm at home, riding her horse, and being a member of Brampton Young Farmers. 

Lilly joined our nursing team in January 2024. She will be training alongside the vets and Registered nurses with all aspects of pet care and progressing her further qualifications in animal care

Gemma joined the team in the Summer of 2024 and will be assisting the nurses in their day-to-day tasks, while also starting her qualifications at Askham Bryan in Gateshead.