Pennine Vets
The History behind Pennine Vets
Pennine Vets was first planned in 2002 as a high quality, family run vets practice. Bury was chosen because of the lack of vets in the area and because Gillian went to school in Bury and knew the area well. Months of planning went in but our biggest problem was finding a suitable building for the practice. We looked at 3 plots of land and 5 buildings before settling at 1 Bury Road, Tottington. The whole process took over 12 months, 3 planning applications and probably thousands of miles driven looking at buildings. Below is our diary of setting up the practice from the day that we obtained planning permission to open a vets in Bury.
August 2003
Over the bank holiday weekend we found our perfect building after many months of looking. With plenty of space inside and car park spaces around the side, it is perfect for our surgery. We need to apply for planning permission to change the building from a shop to a vets so the next few days were spent getting our application ready.
September 2003
Our planning permission application has gone in and it is just a matter of waiting now. This is a very nervous wait as everything depends of this application.
October 2003
We finally got planning permission !! All our plans go into action now and life has become very busy. We have given ourselves 2 months to get ready and are planning to open just after New Year. We finally got the keys to the building just before the end of the month and get our first chance to look around "our building". The new surgery gets marked out on the floor with masking tape.
November 2003
The first week in November was a very busy time. The builder came round and is going to start on all the building work in the next couple of weeks. We need to mark off our consulting rooms and add a couple of sinks as well as decorate everywhere. The painting has started and we have had a small explosion of cable as the computers and telephones get wired in. About a third of a mile of wire has to be fitted. The rest of the week has been spent arranging everything from a lock for the toilet door to our new anaesthetic machines.
December 2003
Both the first week and last 2 weeks of December were extremely busy in finally preparing the practice ready for opening in January. Although we had Christmas Day & Boxing Day off work, the surgery was a hive of activity painting (at least 3 coats everywhere), building (reception desks, waiting room seats & work units) and preparing for opening.
January 2004
The building and preparation works finally finished at 3pm on sunday 4th January with a surgery ready to go !! A glass of bubbly and Pennine Vets was officially ready
5th January 2004 - GRAND OPENING
Pennine Vets is officially opened to the public and we have a successful first day. Several animals were seen and we were kept busy with enquiries and new registrations. The support we have had from our neighbours and the people of Tottington & Bury is incredible. We are made to feel very welcome in the village.
February 2004
The first 2 months at the practice have been very busy. Both the vets, Ian & Gillian and all the staff of Pennine Vets would like to thank everyone who has helped make our new practice such a friendly and successful place. We have had some wonderful comments from people and have enjoyed being in the village. We now have to build on our good start and are aiming to become a vital part of the local community.
March 2004
Because of the great success of our microchipping month during February, we have extended the offer until March 31st 2004. Microchipping is a great way to identify your pet and ensure that they are returned to you quickly if they are lost or injured on the roads. We can microchip cats & dogs from 8 weeks old as well as birds and reptiles ( it is a legal requirement is some species including many common tortoise species). We are also the first practice in the area to offer the new Biothermo microchips which also read your pets temperature when scanned, meaning no more thermometers!!
April 2004
Here at Pennine Vets, both are vets have a special interest in the exotic pets and through this, Gillian attended the Tortoise Day at the local Wilkinson store in Bury. Run by the local British Chelonia Group, members of the public bring their tortoises into the store for weighing, measuring and advice. With good weather, this years event was well attended, with over 70 tortoises brought in during the day. We look forward to taking part again next year.
May 2004
Bank holiday time and National Pet Week at the start of the month. To mark this we held 2 events. At the start of the week, we supported Northern Pet Shop & Parrots in Ramsbottom during their 30th Anniversary celebrations, with a stand in the shop for advice and information. At the end of National Pet Week, we opened our doors for an Open Day. Despite some rain, many people came to look around the surgery and our interactive displays. A vet surgery can be a mysterious place and we hope we were both informative and educational.
June 2004 - Pet Smile Month
We proudly took part in Pet Smile Month, offering free dental checks to our clients. With an article in Bury Times, this proved very popular, with clients travelling from Rossendale and beyond. Over 100 free dental checks were performed and with gum disease and teeth problems being very common, hopefully we made a difference to pets with mouth pain. We will certainly be involved again next year.
July 2004
The start of the school holidays is always a busy time at a vet's surgery and this July was no exception. With new rules on Pet Passports starting on 3rd July, we were amongst the first practice in Europe to issue a new style passport to a cat called Lulu! For more information on how to take your pet abroad, please contact us at the surgery.