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 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!

Annekie grew up on a farm in South Africa as part of a family of vets – her dad was a large animal vet, her brother and his wife are both vets specialising in cattle embryo transfer and of course she ended up marrying a vet as well…. 

She qualified in 1998 at Onderstepoort, University of Pretoria in South Africa and came over to the UK that same year just to see a bit of the world, always intending to go back after a year or two. But as we know, ‘life is what happens when we make other plans’ and so she is still here 25 years later.

She worked in small animal practices in Southampton, Essex and Bournemouth before joining the team here in 2006 when we acquired the Boyatt Wood Branch. It’s been wonderful to see the branch grow from initially seeing only about 5 people a day.

Since having children she is working part time only and also enjoy being involved with the local community in Chandler’s Ford. Her favourite past time is spending time in the woods at Farley Mount where her daughter shares a pony. It’s wonderful to go out into nature several times a week, come rain or shine (or indeed frost),  watching sunsets and encountering wildlife (the Red Kites up there are family favourites).

Not surprisingly that is also the ‘happy place’ for the family dog, Hobbes. 

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.

Emily graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2017 and has worked in small animal practice since. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary care but has a keen interest in internal medicine and surgery.

Emily is particularly passionate about small furries and has 4 of her own guinea pigs at home! She enjoys spending time with family and going for walks in the forest with her crazy Weimaraner Tizzy.

Lucy graduated from Cambridge Veterinary School in 2019 and spent some time at an RSPCA shelter vet unit before going into general practice, then joined us in 2021. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine and surgery. 

Outside of work, Lucy enjoys walking in the countryside, cooking, animation and crocheting. She also likes spending time with her cat Ernie, who she adopted while on work experience at a rescue centre in 2012

Davinia graduated from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Vet School (Spain) in 2008. She remained in Las Palmas University after graduation and completed a PhD in parasitology in 2015. During her PhD she spent 4 years working in an animal shelter, focusing on general routine neutering surgery.

Between those years she worked as well for independent small animal practices in Las Palmas before moving to the UK (South of England) in 2015 to keep working in a few small animal practices until 2022 when she joined our team. In 2021 she has completed her Soft Tissue Surgery and Anaesthesia Masters at Autònoma Barcelona University. She enjoys all aspect of small animal surgery and has a particular interest in abdominal surgery, surgical oncology, airway disease and surgical plasty. 

Outside of work, Davinia enjoys spending time exploring the UK, camping and paddle boarding with her fiancé and her two cockapoo Bella and Georgie. She loves cooking Spanish food, going to the gym and travelling to hotter countries when she can! 

Rebecca graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2018 and has worked in small animal practice since. She has a love for all cats, and small furries, with a keen interest in feline medicine. 

When not at work, Rebecca enjoys cold water river swimming, board games and hiking. She has two cats called Jess and Oliver, and a chinchilla called Miss Helena Poirot (Miss P to friends).

Gemma graduated from Cambridge vet school in 2013. Since then she has worked in several veterinary practices across Essex and Hampshire, and even spent a few months volunteering at a veterinary charity in the Cook Islands. Her primary veterinary interests are surgery and the influence of the microbiome on pet health.

Alongside of work she is kept busy by her toddler, Gilbert; together with husband Ed they enjoy muddy family walks with Percy their scruffy terrier. When she finds time she loves to get out into the countryside both on her bike and wild swimming. In 2019 Gemma cycled the length of the UK to raise money for VetLife, a charity supporting the mental health of the veterinary profession.

She loves baking and has been known to bring tasty treats into work for her colleagues. Final mention goes to George the 16 year old cat, who at times is the loudest in the house!

Elaine started working for the practice in 2000, she worked her way through the ranks qualifying as a Vet Nurse, becoming Head Nurse and is now Practice Manager.

Outside of work Elaine enjoys spending time with her family and whippets on coastal and countryside walks.

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 is a Vet Nurse Clinical Coach and SQP.  Lisa also helps with both our Puppy Parties and Weight Watchers clinics, the latter as a Hills approved VNA. 

 Her free time is spent exploring, especially beaches, in her camper van, reading, gardening, caring for her two dogs Dougie and Bella her ever growing flock of hens and last but not least her husband and two sons. 

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 has been a long-standing member of our team. She joined us full time in July 2003, having worked weekends and holidays and  attended Sparsholt College previously. She has always enjoyed caring for animals.

In her spare time she enjoys listening to music, going to the cinema, spending time with her family and walking with her dogs along the sea and out in the countryside.

Charlotte joined the Practice in November 2012 and fulfilled her ambition by qualifying in August 2017. She has a keen interest in post-operative care and animal behaviour. She runs regular puppy socialisation classes and enjoys designing waiting room displays. Charlotte lives with her partner Chris and two cats Kinder & Milka. She has a passion for good food, French food especially, and travelling in France. In her spare time, she loves finding bargain furniture, re-furbishing it and giving it a new lease of life!

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 joined us in September 2018 after working at St Francis Animal Welfare for 11 years, where she gained a wealth of animal experience. 

Vikki really enjoys being a part of the team here at chandlers Ford, and she has a love of all animals and has previously had a variety of rescue dogs and even a horse.

In her spare time, she enjoys taking her two dogs, Winston and Vinnie out, walking in the new forest and spending time with friends and family, and also travelling to Scotland for holidays with her dogs and visiting her family there.

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.

Millie joined the practice in September 2019 as a Saturday girl, after coming to one of our veterinary nursing information evenings and completing work experience with us. After spending time with the team and helping care for the inpatients she decided veterinary nursing was the career for her. 

Millie has grown up with a variety of animals including horses, dogs, cats, chickens, goats and lots more! She has a love for large dogs, especially German shepherds! 

She is now a full time member of the team and has begun fulfilling her goal of becoming a veterinary nurse by starting her apprenticeship with us.

Nicky worked at a busy veterinary hospital for 12 years as a receptionist before joining the team at Boyatt Wood, she is enjoying getting to know the clients and their pets.

She has a large feisty cat called Ollie and a Chihuahua called Norman.

In her free time Nicky likes to go to the gym and go for long walks with her family and the dog.

Georgia has always wanted to work in the veterinary industry. She has a passion for animals especially cats, she has her own cat called Chip who she loves spoiling and spending time with. 

Georgia is very sociable and in her spare time likes to go out dancing, spend time with friends and family. She also likes to go for long drives, walks and hikes.