Meet the Team

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  Rebecca Nye

  Clinical Director, Veterinary Surgeon

  BVSc, MRCVS

  Rebecca joined the team in 2017 after graduating from Bristol University in 2014. After becoming a vet, she spent 2.5 years at a small animal hospital in Southeast London before joining the Elands team where she has developed her passion in surgery & ultrasonography. She loves spending any spare time she has with her family, most notably her three wild children! Rebecca loves being a vet, and prides herself in leading the fantastic team at Elands, who always go above and beyond to ensure they provide the best possible care for their clients’ pets.

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  Charlotte Surridge

  Veterinary Surgeon

  Charlotte joined the team in 2021 after relocating back to the UK from Australia, where she studied Veterinary Science in Sydney, graduating in 2006. Her first decade in practice was spent working in busy first opinion clinics in and around Sydney and has extensive experience as a vet and a practice manager. She has completed further study in clinical oncology and is a big fan of doing CPD and keeping up to date with the latest updates in veterinary medicine. She relocated back to the UK in 2017 and worked in some small clinics in Kent and Surrey before finding her way to Elands. Outside of work she is kept busy with her two cats, an excitable labrador, 5 chickens, fish, 3 children and her husband who tears his hair out over their ever-growing menageries of pets!

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  Iona Freeman

  Veterinary Surgeon

  BVM, MRCVS

  Iona graduated from the Royal Veterinary College (London) in 2019 and spent time with us as student both before and during her degree.

  Since graduating she has worked in both farm and small animal practice however as a Sevenoaks local, she was delighted when the opportunity arose to return to Elands.

  She loves all aspects of being a vet and especially enjoys that no two days are the same!

  Outside of work she can usually be found baking or walking her dog, Bilbo.

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  Natasha Cottham-Cartledge

  Veterinary Surgeon

  Natasha, (however everyone calls her Tash!) graduated from Royal Veterinary College in London. her special interest is in dermatology.

  She joined Elands in 2023. She initially met the team as a student and loved the clinic, team and clients so much that she came straight back to work here after she graudated .

  She quickly became a cat person after adopting Ziggy, the worlds cutest kitten who came to Elands as a stray!

   

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  Arasi Sathi

  Veterinary Surgeon

  Arasi joined the team in 2024 after graduating as a vet in 2008 from the Royal Veterinary College. Before Elands, she worked at other practices near London as a small animal vet and she really enjoys supporting our clients, getting great satisfaction from working through cases and discussing the next best steps available to manage or treat the patient. Arasi enjoys both medical cases and surgical procedures and always strives to do the best for our furry friends! She especially loves hearing funny stories involving people’s pets and the joy they bring to everyone. In her spare time, she loves visiting museums, going to the theatre and taking time to go for walks in nature. She also has a favourite summer tradition with her friends, which is attending Wimbledon to enjoy a lot of queuing along with some strawberries and cream.

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  Emma Barty

  Nursing Team

  HND(VNS) RVN – Head Nurse

  Emma joined the practice in 2005 as a newly qualified veterinary nurse after finishing her higher diploma in veterinary nursing. She became Head Nurse in 2014 and her special interests include diagnostic imaging and giving love to our feline patients.

  Outside of work, Emma enjoys going to live music events, reading, and occasional forays into baking (much appreciated by her coworkers!)

  Emma currently has a cat –  a 3-legged black & white boy named Noodle, who makes up for his lack of a leg with an extra dose of feisty attitude!

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  Laura Compton

  Nursing Team

  RVN Deputy Head Nurse

  Laura joined the practice in 2014 right after graduating from Hartpury College as an RVN. She started her animal career by working on a Shetland breeding farm who showed them in hand, as well as attending Sweden for a breed show one year. She loves all areas of nursing, but has a keen interest in nutrition, behaviour and runs the practices weight clinics. She is a massive terrier fan and had two Jack Russelss growing up, but now most of her spare time is spent horse riding her Piebald Cob horse called Stan and hacking in the farm. Laura joined Elands on the same day as Erica, who she met at Uni on her first day. To start the team weren’t sure who was who, so they had to remember that Erica was the taller of the two!

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  Erica Wilkes

  Nursing Team

  RVN Deputy Head Nurse

  Erica joined the team in 2014 once she graduated as an RVN from Hartpury College in the same year. Before becoming an RVN she had gained experience at another local vets and riding school, and now at Elands, she loves bonding with patients and clients and seeing them from the start of their care throughout their life. At home, she has an Akita called Keira and two horses. A Connemara called River and a Cob called JJ who as been around for around half of her life. Outside of work she loves spending her time with her horses, which for her is more of a lifestyle than a hobby! Erica started at Elands with Laura, who she met at Uni, and they have both worked together ever since!

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  Ellen Farrelly

  Veterinary Nurse

  RVN

  Ellen joined the practice in 2023 after graduating from Kent School of Nursing in 2022. Before joining the team, she worked at another vet practice for 10 years, originally starting as work experience, before moving up to RVN. She also has lots of experience in fostering and volunteering including hand rearing puppies, squirrels and baby pigeons. In her role, she has a keen interest in confidence clinics, as well as supporting chronic pain patients, canine behaviour and training. At home, she has a Staffie x French Bulldog called Phoenix, and a DSH cat called Luther, who she has supported through their own pain and behaviour issues. Ellen loves taking Pheonix out for walks and learning new cooperative care tricks, as well as playing computer games and attending music festivals.

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  Chrissie Robinson

  RVN

  ISFM DipFN, NCert(Surg)

  Chrissie joined the practice in 2024 after graduating as an RVN in 2012 from the College of Animal Welfare. Prior to working at Elands, she began her animal care career in a pet shop from the age of 17, before joining a practice as an SVN to later complete her RVN training. Following an initial 7 years in another practice, she then spent 6 years as an ambulatory orthopaedic surgical referral nurse. Chrissie has a special interest in teaching and is a clinical supervisor for trainee nurses in practice, as well as developing her own skills in all areas of the role. At home she has an 8-year-old British Blue cat called Cookie, and loves spending her time with her young family baking and volunteering for various local community groups. She also once loved taking part in a trap, neuter and return programme on a tiny island in Greece called Karpathos!

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  Natalie Smith

  SVN

  Natalie started at Elands in 2018, she has always lived in the Sevenoaks area. She loves all animals and loves looking after them. Natalie often looks after her daughters dogs Otis who is a Patterdale terrier and Blue who is a husky cross Rottweiler. Both dogs are rescue dogs. Out of work Natalie likes going to the gym listening, going to concerts and looking after her grandsons. She also loves cycling or walking round the countryside. Natalie is currently studying to become an RVN.

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  Abigail McQueen

  ANA

  Having grown up surrounded by a wide variety of animals, including dogs, cats, chickens, guinea pigs and snakes, Abi has always had a deep love for animals. While she adores both cats and dogs, she has a particular soft spot for reptiles and spent many years keeping and caring for several corn snakes.

  Her passion for animal care continued to grow through previous roles in kennels and doggy day care, inspiring her to volunteer for animal charities before joining Eland’s as an Animal Care Assistant. In this role, she is able to combine her enthusiasm and dedication while caring for a range of wonderful animals.

  Outside of work, Abi volunteers with Medical Detection Dogs and enjoys spending time with her own dog Shadow. Whether taking her cheeky dog, Shadow, for walks, or experimenting with more adventurous recipes in the kitchen, she values making the most of her free time. Looking ahead, she hopes to continue developing her skills and pursue a career as a Veterinary Nurse.

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  Saija Smith

  Practice Manager DVLM

  DVLM

  Saija joined Elands in 2017, bringing with her extensive management experience from the luxury retail sector. Originally from Finland, she has called the UK home since 1999 and has spent much of that time living in Sevenoaks with her husband and son.

  What makes Saija’s journey especially unique is her long-standing connection with Elands. Before joining the team, she was a loyal client for over 15 years, giving her a genuine understanding of the practice from both a client and team member’s perspective.

  A passionate advocate for animal welfare, Saija has volunteered with local animal charities and shares her home with three very important family members: Tony and Onni, her two cats, and Trevor the tortoise. Onni is a rescue cat whose name means “lucky” in Finnish, while Trevor was rescued through the practice and, according to Saija, simply looked like a Trevor!

  When she’s not at work, Saija enjoys live music, following a variety of sports, and passionately supporting her beloved Liverpool F.C. — a lifelong devotion that has brought plenty of excitement (and the occasional nerve-wracking matchday).

  One of Saija’s favourite parts of her role is getting to know our clients and their wonderful pets. Whether you have a question, feedback, or simply want to say hello, she is always happy to chat. If you’re visiting the clinic, just let our reception team know and she’ll pop down to see you whenever she can.

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  Tina Bosworth

  Reception

  Tina has been part of the Elands Team since joining in 2020. Having spent Many years working in Recruitment, Tina had the opportunity to work more locally and having been a client with her Dog Dottie she became a valued member of the Elands Reception Team. Tina has a real passion for customer service and strives to provide the very best customer experience for both you and your pets. Tina’s energy keeps us all going even on the most difficult of days and she can often be heard singing a little tune, our favourite is the ‘Gravy Boat’ song that she made up to calm even the most nervous of animals, it really does seem to work! Tina lives locally with her family in Otford and their little Cockerpoo Dottie, when you meet her feel free to ask her for a rendition of the ‘Gravy Boat’ song, you may even be able to help with a 2nd verse!

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  Amy Laws

  ANA and Reception

  Amy joined the team in 2021 as a receptionist, then moved into an ACA role in 2024 before starting her nurse training in 2026. She graduated from the University of Greenwich with a degree in Applied Behavioural Science before moving into her veterinary career where she loves making a difference to all clients and patients wherever possible. She especially enjoys lab work and being a part of the Elands team. At home, she has a herd of guinea pigs along with 2 continental giant rabbits, 2 mini lop rabbits and 2 cats called Pud and Lily. Her spare time is mostly taken up by taking her children to football matches, dancing and gymnastics, so enjoys a chance to turn her alarm off every once in a while!

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  Andrea Sault

  Receptionist

  Andrea joined the practice in September 2023 and is enjoying getting to know all of our clients. She particularly loves having a cuddle with pets arriving at the clinic along with the inpatient’s.

  Outside of work you will find Andrea either walking her rescue Mini Schnauzer Figgy or snuggling up on the sofa with her two oriental cats Olive and Gretel.

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  Emma Howard

  Receptionist

  Animal Management Diploma

  Emma joined the team in 2024 and has previously completed a National Diploma in Animal Management. She also did some kennel work and had an animal care role at Battersea Dogs and Cats home before joining the Elands reception team. She loves being a part of the animal journey with her clients, watching them grow from puppies/kittens to old age, and building relationships with their regular owners. At home she has two English Bull Terriers called Sonny and Bella, a black DSH cat called Leo, and a Lop-eared rabbit called Reggie. When she’s not spending time with her pets, she enjoys crafting and growing veg, and her dogs like to think they are helping by digging up the garden or running off with the garden tools!

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  Tracy Samwell

  Receptionist

  Tracy joined the team in 2025 after she wanted to pursue a role in working with animals. She loves getting to know the clients, their pets, and the perk of getting cuddles at reception. At home she has a French Bulldog called Mabel, a rescue she adopted in October 2019 when she was 1 year old. In her spare time she volunteers with the Riding for Disabled, as horses are her other passion in life.