SCVA 2025 CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Mandy Hill
Mandy is the Cat Rehoming Coordinator and a Trustee with the RSPCA Crewe, Nantwich, and District Branch who rehome cats, dogs, and rabbits. The branch is entirely volunteer run and Mandy has been a volunteer with the branch, working primarily with cats, since 2007. Mandy has also worked in animal welfare, having spent eleven years with Cats Protection as Head of Operations (North), working with adoption centres and volunteer-run branches across the North of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. On Sunday, Mandy will be giving a talk on ‘The Challenges of Rehoming Animals’ and leading the feedback from the group discussions which will follow this theme.
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​​​​​​​​Caroline Allen
Caroline has been a vet for more than twenty five years, spending most of that time in a small animal general practice in London. For the last five years, she has been the RSPCA's Chief Vet. Her interests include building a better understanding between vets and the RSPCA, promoting a more holistic view of animal welfare, the importance of timely euthanasia, and contextual care. She holds the RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Medicine, is a trustee of the BVA AWF, and has been on RCVS Council. Caroline will be running a workshop on Quality of Life Assessment in Shelters.
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Louise Allum
Louise Allum graduated from Cambridge University in 1997 and started her career in a mixed practice (small animal/equine) in Bedfordshire. She moved to the London suburbs in 2000 and then never left. She started in an independent small animal practice in North Harrow and then saw her dream job at the RVC in 2008 at the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital. She became head vet here and enjoyed teaching the final year RVC students the joys and challenges of high quality first opinion practice. In 2014 she took on the new challenge to drive the new Shelter Medicine Program. Working with Charity partners, such as Blue Cross, RSPCA and Woodgreen Pets Charity, her and her team of vets/nurses welcome final year vet students for core and tracking IMR rotations where they learn the important differences in looking after groups of animals compared with individuals. She is also passionate about providing accessible care for owners and their pets and promoting contextual care to final year vet students. Throughout all of these rotations she brings her excitement for teaching dentistry and has promoted the use of dental radiography and nerve blocks throughout all her workplaces . She has recently completed her GP cert in Small Animal Dentistry and is now an Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Dentistry. In her (limited) spare time she is a trustee for Dogs Trust and a council member of RCVS.
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​​​Bev Panto​
Bev graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2009 with an intercalated degree in Veterinary Conservation Medicine from Liverpool. After a year working in East Africa and teaching international development at the RVC, she worked as a small animal and exotics general practitioner for three years, where she also volunteered regularly at a large wildlife hospital, the Wildlife Aid Foundation. She continues to be a veterinary consultant and trustee for the charity. In 2013 she became the Lead Vet at RSPCA Stapeley Grange, treating a wide range of British wildlife and domestic species. After a period working in zoos and exotics referral practice, she was recruited in 2020 as the exotics curriculum lead at Harper & Keele Vet School, where she is now also Senior Tutor. She is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Zoological Medicine and holds the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in Zoological Medicine. She runs training for a number of organizations in wildlife triage, decision-making and euthanasia, as well as providing CPD to vets and nurses in wildlife and exotics, as well as continued consultancy work for zoos and wildlife hospitals. She was elected onto BVZS council in November 2024.
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Lucy Squire​​​
A former veterinary surgeon, now a university lecturer and mindfulness coach. Lucy helps high-achievers manage stress and enjoy their work while excelling. Lucy runs the Mindful Living Academy, helping professionals to manage feelings such as stress, anxiety, and burnout. We know how important self-care is, so SCVA invited Lucy to run a workshop for us on ‘Mindfulness strategies for dealing with stress’, which will give delegates tools that can be easily implemented into a busy working life.
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