Meet our Team
Our Valuable Staff Members


Beyers van Niekerk Director
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They got married in 1997 and moved to her hometown Chandlers Ford. The rest is history as they say – he became a partner in the year 2000. In 2016 Clare and Beyers became full owners and shareholders of the practice.
His role in the Practice is both clinical and managerial which is only possible due to the excellent support staff we have at the Practice. He likes surgery as well as chatting to owners about their pets.
It gives him great satisfaction to make animals better and to interact with them. Apart from the usual veterinary work he tries to motivate and train staff to the best of their abilities and gets a real sense of satisfaction when people reach their goals in work and life.
Clare and Beyers have two children in their teens and also share the house with two Dachsies and a three-legged Rhodesian Ridgeback. When not at work he likes spending time with his bees that he is obsessed with, and also keeps Koi and chickens. He loves rugby and does a bit of grass-roots coaching and refereeing at a local club. He has also recently bought an electric guitar – much to the delight of his family.

Clare Van Niekerk Director
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Clare has been one of the longest serving members of the practice. From a young age, she has always wanted to be a vet and started at the practice as a ‘Saturday girl’ whilst still at school. After taking her A levels at Barton Peveril College, she gained a place at Bristol University and graduated in 1994.
Her first job was in a busy small animal practice in Newport in South Wales where she worked for 3 years. It was here that she met Beyers, after they married they moved back to Chandlers Ford and joined Davies and Aylott.
After having her two children, Clare followed her interest in Psychology and Behaviour and studied part time for 3 years at Southampton University and gained a post graduate diploma in Companion Animal behaviour counselling and sees behaviour cases as part of her work load.
Clare works at the Boyatt Wood Surgery and particularly enjoys getting to know all the clients and patients.
Outside work, she is busy as a taxi service to her 2 teenage children and looking after the menagerie of animals at home!

Joe Gosling Clinical Director
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Joe started working for us in August 2015, he was already familar with the practice having spent time with us on placements during his degree.
He has a keen interest in soft tissue surgery and his current ambition is become an accomplished general practitioner. Outside of work he enjoys mini golf, running and cycling.

Rebecca Kageler Lead Vet
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She enjoys all aspects of small animal practice but has a keen interest in internal medicine, diagnostic imaging and dentistry. She is currently studying for her post graduate certificate in small animal medicine.
Outside of work she enjoys running, cycling, horse riding, going to the gym and climbing.

Annekie Montgomery Vet
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Annekie qualified in South Africa in 1998 and joined the team in 2006. She lives in Chandlers Ford with husband, Leslie, two children, and three guinea pigs.
She’s involved with the local community and loves walking, cycling and bird watching.

Leslie Montgomery Vet
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Leslie was born and grew up in Ireland. He in qualified Dublin in 1983 and went into farm animal practice in his home town. He came to England in 1986 and began work in Southampton before moving to Davies and Aylott (as we were then known) in Chandlers Ford in 1991.
He became a partner in the practice in 2000 and later a director when the practice was incorporated. In 2016 he ceased to be involved in the business but continued to be a valued member of staff till September 2020 when he retired after three decades with the Practice.
Leslie leaves a great legacy at Chandlers Ford Vets, and his influence on the ethos and philosophy we have is very much part of the fibre and culture of the practice, and will continue to do so for many years.
He still lives in Chandlers Ford with his family, and might be persuaded to do the odd locum or two if we are lucky.
We thank him for the huge contribution he has made to the Practice, the many hours he worked, and his dedication to his patients, clients, our profession that has changed so much over the decades, and his colleagues.
Although not currently part of the team, we feel he deserves to be on here.
Whilst we miss him we wish him a well-deserved and very happy retirement.

Charlie - Vet
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She is passionate about the environment and is hoping to make the practice as sustainable as possible by becoming an eco-champion for the business. Outside of work she enjoys yoga, running, climbing, playing rugby and walking with her wonderful spaniel Ned.

Alice Humphreys - Vet
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She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but has a particular interest in surgery and wildlife and is currently studying for a Masters in Conservation Medicine.
Outside of work she enjoys using her pilots licence to go flying, paddle boarding and exploring the countryside with her husband and walking their cocker spaniel Monty.

Elaine Freemantle RVN and Practice Manager
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Elaine started working for the practice in 2000, she worked her way through the ranks training and then becoming Head Nurse.
Elaine then became a mum and started working part time taking up the role of Assistant Head Nurse. As well as assisting Lisa in the nursing side of things Elaine does a lot of insurance admin which she enjoys and in 2019 she was made our Practice Manager.
She has a whippet at home called Enzo which she treats like a second child!

Lisa Hansen Head RVN
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Lisa has been with the practice since 1988. She took on the role of Head Nurse in 2014. She has flourished in the role, particularly enjoying the organisational challenge.
She also helps with both our Puppy Parties and Weight Watchers clinics, the latter as a Hills approved VNA.
She is a VN assessor, a role she enjoys and is keen to develop. She is married to Warren and they have two boys, Luke and Ollie. In her free time, what little she has, she spends it reading, gardening, caring for her labrador Dougie and her four hens Ava, Nicola, Brenda and Sylvia.

Lorraine Webb RVN
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Lorraine has been a nurse at Chandlers Ford Veterinary Surgery for 34 years. She did her nurse training at a Winchester practice and she qualified in 1982. Lorraine has been our Assessor/Lead Clinical Coach for nurse training since 2001 when the practice started the nurse training through the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Sparsholt College.
She finds this aspect of her duties very rewarding, being able to give back to the profession that has given her the career she always wished to do. Lorraine enjoys helping to care for her Westie, keeping her garden as full of nectar rich plants as possible, and photographing the Hampshire countryside.

Vicky Vaughan RVN Deputy Head Nurse
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Vicky is our Deputy Head Nurse and she has been with us since October 1998. She did make a break for freedom in March 2000 by travelling in Australia. We tracked her down and recaptured her in February 2001.
She married her long-term partner Gary in 2010 and they have a daughter Kirsty and a little boy called Freddie. She is a life long supporter of Southampton FC.
She has a dog called Lizzie.

Anna-Marie Tatum RVN
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Anna has been a long-standing member of our staff. She joined full-time in July 2003, having worked weekends and holidays and attended college previously. She has always enjoyed caring for animals.
Her interests are TV and soaps (Corrie and Eastenders rather than something from Lush) and an array of pets that include dogs (Shelties)/rabbits/chinchillas/degus/guinea pigs/aquatic frogs and a puffer fish.
She is keen to improve her veterinary nursing knowledge and skills. She is one of the practice first-aiders and so is qualified to treat more than animal cuts and bruises.

Dominique Hancock RVN
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Dom initially worked as a part time assistant whilst she was still at school. After a few years away she came back full time in September 2008. Her and her husband Matt have 2 children.
They share their home with their black labrador Maximus. Dom enjoys all aspects of nursing, particularly surgery.

Charlotte Lewis RVN
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Ryan Hunt RVN
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Ryan joined the practice in July 2015 after finishing his Diploma in Animal Management. He graduated as a veterinary nurse in 2020. His special interests at work include wildlife rehabilitation and care of exotic animals, which he hopes to expand his knowledge on. Ryan owns a Jack Russell Terrier called Pippa, he also owns a bearded dragon, royal python, crested gecko and various species of fish (including puffer fish!) In his spare time Ryan enjoys running, socialising with friends, and watching Harry Potter or anything Marvel related!

Lana Baker RVN
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Her interests at work include laboratory work and caring for inpatients. Lana owns a Jack Russel Terrier called MJ and enjoys taking him for long walks. In her spare time, she likes running, exercising at the gym and socialising with her friends. Lana plans on expanding her knowledge in both small animal and equine medicine.

Vikki Coulson SVCA
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Jo Hillman Veterinary care assistant
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Jo gained lots of experience in handling domestic animals of all shapes and sizes. Since joining the team at Chandlers Ford and Boyatt Wood Vets, she has achieved her Veterinary Care Assistant qualification.
Jo spends most of the week at the Boyatt Wood practice and enjoys getting to know the clients and their pets!
Outside of work, she enjoys socialising with friends and going on adventures to find lovely places to walk with her dog Spencer.

Tori Walker SVN
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Ireland and Australia and is a keen traveller. She has already visited over 15 countries and intends to do more travelling when the opportunity arises. Tori also loves animals and has had a mixture of pets including turtles and a bearded dragon.

Gwen Hughes SVN
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Gwen joined the practice in May 2020 to pursue her dream of becoming a qualified Veterinary Nurse. Having completed a course in Animal Management in 2017 she has since used her free time to combine her love of animals and travel by volunteering at conservation projects abroad.
At home she has a rabbit, guinea pigs and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier named William.

Trudy Hathaway Insurance Administrator
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Nicky Hunt Receptionist
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She has a large feisty cat called Ollie and two dogs, Norman a cheeky Chihuahua and Winnie who only has three legs.
In her free time Nicky likes to go to the gym and go for long walks with her family and the dogs.

Sara Rose Receptionist
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In Sara’s spare time she enjoys going on family dog walks with her husband and daughter, seeing her friends and she also enjoys horse riding.