Award winners

Two Blue Cross awards were given out recently:

The Blue Cross Welfare Award
The Blue Cross Welfare Award, part of this year's Petplan Awards ceremony, has been presented to the chief executive of the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB), Claire Bessant, for her substantial contribution to feline welfare over many years.

Dr Andrew Edney MA DVetMed MRCVS, a Blue Cross governor, presented the award at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress in April.

The FAB was founded in 1958. When Claire took the helm in 1995, it was relatively unknown, but she transformed it into an active organisation dedicated to advancing feline health and welfare. Current FAB initiatives include funded university posts at veterinary schools, an extensive range of cat care leaflets and a polycystic kidney disease screening scheme.

The JA Wight Memorial Award
The JA Wight Memorial Award, sponsored by The Blue Cross, was awarded to Kate Kerr for her substantial contribution to animal welfare and veterinary education. James Wight presented the memorial award. James is the son of Alf Wight, commonly known as veterinarian and author James Herriot. The ceremony took place at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) congress.

Kate is the chairman of the British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF) and is committed to improving the welfare of animals through veterinary science education and debate. During Kate's chairmanship, the BVA AWF has supported educational leaflets for school children and the general public, provided an annual animal welfare debating forum and provided an annual case study forum for veterinary students.

Kate graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 1977 and spent ten years in mixed practice.  In 1991 she joined the State Veterinary Service where she has held various posts and provided support and advice on veterinary training.  Kate has specialised in animal welfare and has an RCVS diploma in welfare science, ethics and law.