Meet the team

Before joining our team as a bookkeeper in 2017, Kirsty worked in various industries at management level. She has been our practice director since 2018, and helps to run the practice with the support of our fantastic team. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family and pets, running, reading and the odd glass of gin.

After graduating in 1998, Keith carried out a variety of locuming, overseas travel and veterinary charity work in south-east Asia and the South Pacific islands. He joined us in 2004, and loves getting to form great bonds with our patients and clients. Away from work, he enjoys spending time with his family and pets, as well as exercising in the Dorset countryside and cooking.

After graduating from the University of Bristol in 2007 and working in various mixed practices, Chris moved to Dorset in 2011 to focus on small animal work. He is an RCVS advanced practitioner and certificate holder in ophthalmology, and also enjoys surgery and ultrasound scanning. Outside of work, he likes mountain biking, playing guitar and fixing things around his house.

Dawn graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1992, and began her career at a farm practice in Loughborough. She had lived in Dorset for a few years before joining us in 2019, and has a passion for senior pet care and exotic pets. Much of her free time is spent attending football and cricket matches with her family, gardening, walking, reading and doing yoga. She shares her home with dogs, tortoises, chickens and a very vocal budgie.

Bobby studied in South Africa and worked in a rural area before moving to the UK in 2017. She joined our team a few years later and has a particular passion for feline medicine, which she has completed a certificate in. She loves spending her free time with her husband (a fellow vet), daughter and their dog, Hiccup. Her hobbies include reading, watching films and spending time outdoors.

Andy graduated from Bristol University in 2003, and worked in mixed practices before switching his focus to small animal work. He previously worked at a PDSA hospital and overseas as a charity vet, returning to the UK in 2012 to start his RCVS orthopaedics diploma. He is the managing director of VetFix and an advanced practitioner in small animal surgery. He joined us in 2015, allowing us to start offering referral orthopaedic surgery, and is on the editorial board of Veterinary Evidence, the EBVM journal. 

Holly first joined us in 2015, and after a few years away gaining experience at a veterinary referral hospital, she returned to the team in 2023 and became our head nurse the following year. She has a particular interest in inpatient care and wound management, and is currently working towards a Vets Now emergency and critical care certificate. In her own time, she likes going on adventures with her family and walks on the beach.

Gemma has been nursing for over 20 years and joined our team in 2008. She has a keen interest in nutrition, which led to her completing a certificate in canine and feline nutrition in 2017. She lives locally with her dog, Eric, who she enjoys walking in her spare time. She also loves crocheting and photography, particularly animal portraiture.

Abbi is from Bournemouth and joined our team in 2023. She qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2021, having previously completed an animal care apprenticeship and worked as a dog groomer. She is passionate about feline nursing and inpatient care, and completed her ISFM feline nursing certificate in 2025. She enjoys spending her free time with her family, friends and cats, as well as keeping fit and collecting indoor plants.

Georgia qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2021, and has an animal welfare and behaviour qualification. Her clinical interests include monitoring anaesthetics and surgeries in theatre, as she enjoys taking care of our inpatients and aiding their recoveries. She lives locally with her husband and their dog, Red, and loves paddleboarding, going on holiday and seeing friends.

Helen qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 1995, and joined Hillside in 2008 after many years working in London. She has a passion for education and preventative care, and has a dog called Olive. Outside of work, she enjoys outdoor activities such as stand-up paddle boarding and trail running, having completed several trail half marathons.

Holly joined the practice in 2022 and can often be found in the kennels, helping our patients or welcoming clients in our reception area. She previously worked in food services, and lives with her family and their pet dogs and guinea pigs.

Alison was born in Manchester, but has never looked back since moving down south at the age of eight, thanks to our region’s beautiful beaches and the New Forest. She loves getting to spend her days with our team, clients and their pets and lives locally with her family. Her hobbies include paddle boarding, reading, gardening, movie nights and trips to the theatre.

Originally from Middlesex, Amber holds an NVQ qualification in customer service, as well as foundation and national certificates in animal care. She gained experience at a veterinary centre in Buckinghamshire before joining our reception team in 2017.

Corrine joined us part-time in 2006, looking to get a break from looking after her young twin boys! Her sons are now all grown up, but she still loves working with our friendly team every day. She has a lovely dog called Bertie.

Charlie joined us in 2023, having previously worked in administration roles, including within the NHS. She lives with her husband and has three grown up sons, as well as three dogs. She loves being outdoors and is happiest when at the beach, particularly during her regular holidays in Cornwall. Her hobbies include walking, swimming, Zumba and gardening.

Before joining us in 2023, Amanda worked as a critical and palliative care nurse in the NHS for many years. She had taken early retirement, but was ready to take on an exciting new challenge in the veterinary world. A lifelong animal lover, she has a dog of her own called Winnie.

Steph joined Hillside in 2019 as our PR and marketing manager, and lives locally with her family. Her dog, Hudson, has quite the reputation for his reluctance to leave Hillside when he comes to visit! Outside of work, she loves going on holiday, baking and walking in the Dorset countryside.