Vetlife benefits from £2,000 donation at successful opening day

Staff at Paragon Veterinary Referrals celebrated the centre’s first birthday by raising money for a charity close to their hearts.

We hosted an open day on Saturday, February 9, which included a sponsored bike ride to raise money for Vetlife, a charity which supports people in the veterinary industry who are suffering from emotional, health or psychological problems.

Money from the event is still being collected but the centre presented a cheque for £2,000 to the charity, an amount which was raised throughout its first year of operation.

A tombola at the event also raised an additional £130.

Guests were treated to tours of the state-of-the-art facilities, and special guest Pauli Pauli, who plays for Wakefield Trinity in the Super League, also visited to support the event.

Paragon managing director Ian Monteith said: “It was an excellent day and I am so proud of how hard the whole team worked to make it a success.

“Approximately 120 people turned up, not including friends and family, so we were delighted that so many people got to enjoy the day and see the facilities.

“It was a pleasure to support Vetlife, which does such vital work for people in the veterinary industry.

“We not only wanted to raise money for the charity but also to raise awareness of what it does.

“Thank you to everyone who took part in this wonderful day. And we’re extremely grateful to Pauli for coming along to show his support.”

The sponsored event involved participants cycling eight miles each on static exercise bikes loaned to the centre for the event from the neighbouring Bannatyne’s gym.

The eight-mile distance was chosen as this represents the eight calls and emails Vetlife dealt with from veterinary professionals every day in 2018.

The charity provide support in the shape of three core services, which are the Vetlife helpline, health support and financial support.