Before we can book your appointment, we just need to check that your home address is in an area that our Newton Aycliffe or Winlaton teams can cover on a Home Care visit.
Nicola began her relationship with Sore Paws as a client with Oli and Humf, her dog and loving tortoise. Soon Nicola joined our reception team meeting our lovely client base and getting to grips with the veterinary systems before moving upstairs to the Admin Department. From registering new clients and chasing up external laboratory reports to account management and Practice Health Plan administration, Nicola will also be calling you to check up on your poorly pets following an out of hours visit, or as a courtesy call following a new registration to ensure our excellent client and patient care doesn’t end at the front door.
Having now stepped up again to Branch Manager, Nicola is responsible for ensure the day to day running of the practice is slick and efficient, and she is an expert at delivering fantastic customer service and helping the team achieve favourable outcomes for our furry patients.
After 16 years in pharmacy, Carley was seeking a new challenge. She was delighted when she saw a vacancy available within our Receptionist team.
Since joining Sore Paws in December 2024, Carley has been an incredible asset and her previous dispensary experience has been essential. Carley’s love for animals has only grew, especially since rescuing her dog Buddy in 2020.
Carley loves to stay active and participates regularly in marathons throughout the year, her favourite distance being the half marathon.
Emily N’s bio is coming soon!
Emily has joined our team at Sore Paws Veterinary Clinic after qualifying in February 2021. Having worked previously in an emergency out of hours practice, Emily has a keen interest in emergency critical care, and enjoys schedule 3 procedures. Emily has a fantastic work ethic and is very empathetic towards her patients.
Emily has a large crossbreed canine companion called Mabel. You might see Emily and Mabel exploring the lake district together on a weekend! With any other spare time, Emily enjoys reading (particularly sci-fi and fantasy novels).
Becky became a qualified Veterinary Nurse back in 2017. She has 10+ years experience in referral and ECC, and has a special love for intensive care nursing. She also holds an advanced nursing certificate in small mammals.
When she is not working, she loves to spend time with her husband, two children, their three dogs, cat, tortoise, hamster and fish!
Leona recently qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon after completing her studies at the University of Nottingham. She joined Sore Paws in January 2025, to begin the first step of her veterinary career. Growing up alongside lots of animals, she always knew she wanted to become a vet and learn how to treat and take care of all sorts of different species.
She has a particular interest in Ophthalmology, and in her spare time enjoys live music and going on long walks in the countryside
Alice’s bio is coming soon!
Brian brings to Sore Paws a long career of engineering experience and expertise. With the growth of Sore Paws and the new premises, it’s imperative to the efficient and safe running of the clinics that all faults and hazards are addressed and rectified as soon as possible.
Brian is always on hand to repair equipment and fabric issues at both Winlaton and Newton Aycliffe sites, ensuring down time is kept to an absolute minimum. Brian is friendly and charismatic and is a welcome addition to the Sore Paws team – we’re very happy to have you on board Brian!
Kylie is the new addition to the Sore Paws family at Winlaton as part of the reception team. She is a fabulous addition to the team as a lot of our regular clients already know her due to her living in the area her whole life.
Kylie has two cocker spaniels who have been coming to the practice long before Kylie started with us. Kylie is passionate about animals and is looking forward to expanding her knowledge within the Veterinary Industry.
In her spare time, Kylie is an avid reader and has a never-ending pile to books waiting for her to read. She also enjoys traveling in her campervan visiting new places.
Alex is a dedicated and enthusiastic receptionist, who loves meeting new and existing clients. Alex started off as a client, then joined the Sore Paws family in September 2024 as a receptionist and a PHP administrator. You will see Alex during the middle of the week and every Saturday with a smile on her face and is always willing for a chat. Alex adores seeing all the animals, especially the labradors that come into practice.
Alex is a loving pet mum to her cat Murphy who she rescued with Sore Paws after only working here a month, Lucy the labrador and Foxy the horse. She loves spending time with her family and getting out and about. Her favourite part of the job is meeting new people every day and seeing all the animals.
Mia is our newest student veterinary nurse! She joined the team as a veterinary care assistant and quickly became a huge asset to the team.
Mia has a remarkable work ethic, and we love having her as part of the team! We can’t wait to watch her become a fantastic nurse.
Abbey graduated as an RVN in 2023 and is part of our nursing family. As Abbey has only been qualified a short time, she is still deciding on a specific area of passion but so far loves doing a bit of everything. Abbey is a credit to the Sore Paws Family.
Abbey has a real love for sight hounds and has Coney her grey hound who is a frequent visitor to the practice and is loved by all.
Michaela graduated as an RVN in 2021 and is a solid part of our nursing family. Michaela is a very bold character who has a real passion for teaching and is Clinical Coach to our student nurse Mia. She also has a love for surgery and is currently studying to complete her surgical certificate so that she can perform Schedule 3 procedures.
Michaela has horses, dogs, cats and ferrets of her own and has a real weakness for a stray.
Abby graduated as an RVN in 2019 and joined the Sore Paws team as our Senior Nurse in August and very quickly became a part of the family. She has a real passion for medical cases and nurturing the team.
There is no job too big or small for Abby and she is always on the go. Abby has two dogs of her own – a boarder terrier called Moose and a cockerpoo puppy called Marley.
Kourosh is a dedicated and compassionate Assistant Veterinary Surgeon at Sore Paws.
After graduating in 2016 from Iran, Kourosh gained extensive experience working in veterinary clinics and as a solo practitioner. Motivated by a deep passion for animals, especially companion animals who bring joy to our homes and expand our families, he moved to the UK in 2023 to further pursue professional growth and contribute to the well-being of animals in a new environment.
Alongside his veterinary career, Kourosh is also a talented musician. With a flair for creativity, he has published music albums and singles that are available on all major music streaming platforms.
Agne is a recent graduate from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, having completed her veterinary studies in 2023. During her academic journey, she gained invaluable hands-on experience through traineeships in a variety of countries, including Lithuania, Greece, Italy, and the Czech Republic. These diverse experiences allowed her to broaden her knowledge and expertise in veterinary medicine, working with a wide range of animals and healthcare practices across different cultures. Agne is now eager to apply her skills in a professional setting and continue her growth as a compassionate and skilled veterinarian.
In her spare time Agne enjoys gardening and spending time in nature.
Siobhan graduated as a veterinary surgeon in 2016 from the University of Pretoria and is from beautiful Cape Town, South Africa.
Having lived and worked in South Africa, Northern Ireland and the Northwest of England she has experienced many different types of veterinary practice.
Siobhan loves to travel, and you’ll often find her planning her next adventure, however, she recently decided to put down some more permanent roots and settle with her family in the North of England.
Siobhan has two cats named Zeppelin and Freyja who she brought with from South Africa, they too are well travelled cats.
Siobhan is interested in all aspects of Veterinary especially working up medical cases and mentoring graduates.
Meet Lisa, bio coming soon!
Claire graduated from Oxford Brookes University as an Equine Scientist and later trained as a Veterinary Nurse, qualifying in 2016. She holds extra qualifications in Emergency Critical Care and completed a Surgical Certificate in 2019, which she has a huge passion for. Claire joined the Sore Paws family in July as the Head Nurse in the Winlaton branch but has recently been promoted to Clinical Standards Manager for both the Winlaton and Aycliffe Branch.
Due to being part of a military family, she has had the opportunity to work within practices across the country and also at various levels within the management system. She has extensive managerial experience within Veterinary, Events and Consumer industries.
A fiercely proud mother to her two children Felicity and Douglas, she loves spending time in the countryside working her three dogs and socialising with friends.
Stacey joins us from an extensive background in veterinary, and heads our Practice Health Plan and Social Media administration. She brings with her a wealth of experience and enthusiasm.
You may sometimes find her at Reception meeting and greeting our lovely clients and their owners, and she is more than happy to help with any of your questions and queries.
She is a devoted Pet Mam to Frank (who we promise is a dog).
This is Rachel. Rachel has a qualification in Animal Care and has been with us from the very start (6 years ago!) She is committed, hardworking, and organised.
Recently Rachel was promoted to Branch Manager, so she is sometimes on our front desk, but mostly is in our office hard at work. She will still on occasion roll her sleeves up and come to our rescue through the back when we get busy. Rachel is an avid horse rider and competes and is achieving highly in this domain also!
Well done, Rachel, for being amazing at whatever you turn your hand to.
Nicola began her relationship with Sore Paws as a client with Oli and Humf, her dog and loving tortoise. Soon Nicola joined our reception team meeting our lovely client base and getting to grips with the veterinary systems before moving upstairs to the Admin Department. From registering new clients and chasing up external laboratory reports to account management and Practice Health Plan administration, Nicola will also be calling you to check up on your poorly pets following an out of hours visit, or as a courtesy call following a new registration to ensure our excellent client and patient care doesn’t end at the front door.
Having now stepped up again to Branch Manager, Nicola is responsible for ensure the day to day running of the practice is slick and efficient, and she is an expert at delivering fantastic customer service and helping the team achieve favourable outcomes for our furry patients.
Sofie is a dedicated and enthusiastic receptionist; we have loved having her as part of the team since she joined in June 2022. In Jan 2025 Sofie was promoted to Head Receptionist in recognition of her consistent hard work and dedication to providing exceptional customer service! She has a love for small fluffy animals, having two dogs of her own: Coco and Jules. Sofie adores seeing all the animals and her favourite part of the job is learning something new every day (and the endless chocolate supply!).
In her spare time, Sofie enjoys spending it with family and travelling.
Kerida is the Senior Veterinary Surgeon at Sore Paws Veterinary Clinic Winlaton. Graduating in 2004, Keri is an experienced veterinary surgeon with a keen interest in ferrets and cats! She even has her own rescue cat called Aksel. Keri is a huge advocate for animals and their owners, being both compassionate and friendly.
Keri has moved to the Northeast from the United States, bringing with her a fountain of knowledge. She is very family orientated and in any spare time she has, you’ll find her cycling and gardening.
We love to have Keri here and she is an asset to the team!
Dr. Holmes (nee Stead) is the owner and clinical director of Sore Paws Veterinary Clinic. She qualified from the University of Edinburgh in 2011 and is now holds a post graduate certificate in small animal surgery.
By founding Sore Paws Veterinary Clinic in 2015, her dream became a reality – a place for owners to receive affordable, personalised, and high quality care for their pets. Being a Winlaton native herself, Dr. Holmes knows how much it means to be a part of the community and therefore you will never be just a number at Sore Paws Veterinary Clinic.
Not only does Dr. Holmes understand what it is like first hand to be a pet owner, but she understands that a leader is only as good as their team. Therefore she knows how important it is to support and guide her team members on a daily basis. She enjoys teaching and helping her colleagues grow so that the team at Sore Paws can provide clients with the best up to date care available.
In addition to her passion as a veterinary surgeon, Dr. Holmes is a full time mum to her son, Chrissy, who also seems to have a love for veterinary medicine at a very early age! Dr. Holmes knows how important family is, and if your family includes those with fur and four legs (or even scales, feathers and wings!), Sore Paws Veterinary Clinic will treat your family members like a part of ours.
Meet Mr. Aaron Holmes. Many of you will be familiar with Aaron, as he spends a great deal of time at our front desk along with our Reception Team. Aaron has a passion for providing our clients with an efficient and seamless service, ensuring that we are giving our patients and clients the best experience we can during their visit.
Aaron was not always involved in the Veterinary Industry. After a 20 year long, successful career in the Merchant Navy as a senior engineer for BP shipping, Aaron made the move to join the veterinary industry two years ago in order to be “shore based” so that he could spend more time at home with his family. His natural talent for numbers and exceptional level of computer literacy has allowed us to transform our small business and upgrade it to join the digital world. This has made our services more accessible and has freed up our staff to spend less time on manual tasks and have more time to spend with you and your pets.
In his spare time Aaron is a talented guitarist and photographer and enjoys spending time with his young family. He is owner of a naughty sausage dog called Banger.
Bio coming soon.
Meet Dr Jade, bio coming soon!
This is Rebekah who is from Newton Aycliffe. Having completed her student nurse training with Sore Paws we’re proud to have her entirely home grown!
Now a fully qualified RVN, Rebekah brings to the table a high level of dedication and compassion for the patients in her care. Rebekah has demonstrated maturity beyond her years, proficiency, and has a very empathetic nature which makes her perfectly suited to her role.
Meet Dr Daniela, bio coming soon!
Katie joined us in 2020 as a volunteer initially to help us manage our ever-increasing case load and she has quickly become a huge asset to our team. She is level-headed and dependable which is why we were highly keen to have her back the following year!
Katie studied towards becoming a qualified veterinary nurse at Nottingham Trent University and showed remarkable aptitude and commitment from the outset after joining Sore Paws.
Her can-do attitude and work ethic have helped us all when times have been exceptionally busy, and we’re delighted to announce Katie is now a fully qualified Registered Veterinary Nurse at Sore Paws Newton Aycliffe and has already cemented herself as a core member of the Sore Paws Family.
Matthew completed his Veterinary Medicine and Surgery degree at the University of Surrey. Matthew came to us during his 3rd year of his studies and demonstrated himself to be a perceptive and intuitive future Veterinary Surgeon. We have all been impressed by his self-motivation, and his commitment to his studies and practical advancement is nothing less than inspiring.
We have no doubt that Matthew’s future as a Veterinary Surgeon is set to be bright and we simply can not wait to see his inevitable success here at Sore Paws.
Ross joined the Sore Paws team in 2022, bringing a vast amount of knowledge with him. Qualifying in 2009, Ross has worked as an equine vet for 13 years, and he loves to share his expertise with the team. His patience and empathy make him a very caring and dependable veterinary surgeon. Ross loves imaging, ultrasonography in particular, and is currently working towards further qualifications in this area.
Ross loves to hike and explore nature: in his spare time, he is often planning various routes in the countryside. Another of Ross’ hobbies is baking bread! Ross loves to try new recipes and seeing how they turn out.
Meet Natalie, bio coming soon!
Naomi is our Head Receptionist. She is very hardworking and brings a lot to the team. She has a variety of skills including being a talented marketing and media buff.
Naomi has a degree in psychology and is undertaking her master’s degree in sports and exercise psychology. She enjoys horse riding and hiking in her spare time.
Dr Natasha Redpath is a well respected small animal vet here at our Newton Aycliffe branch of Sore Paws and brings with her a wealth of experience. Natasha graduated in 2015 from the Nottingham Vet School and is currently studying towards gaining MSc Advanced Clinical Practice and RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice. Natasha has a long history with Sore Paws having spent some of her Vet Student placement under the tuition of our very own Clinical Director Dr Sarah Stead here back in 2013/2014.
With a friendly and approachable nature, Natasha demonstrates a compassion and understanding that fits perfectly with the Sore Paws team. We are delighted to have her here and we know your pets are in very safe hands with Natasha.
Jasmine joined us late 2020 and has hit the ground running. With plenty of wildlife and exotics experience in the local community Jasmine has always had a passion for animal care and since joining Sore Paws has been able to put her enthusiasm to good use at the Sore Paws Reception desk. She is dedicated and hard working and always does her very best to ensure clients and their pets get the care and service they deserve.
She is devoted pet-mam to two cats called Lola and Pixie.
Harriette has been with Sore Paws since she was a school student, and has progressed her career with us to becoming Head Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2022. Harriette has completed a Vetskill 18 month Level 5 diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing which has extended her knowledge and skills to a mastery level beyond the RCVS Day One Skills and Competences for qualified nurses. This enables Harriette to lead nursing consultations with her advanced underpinning knowledge giving the clients and patients the best standard of care. This qualification has enabled Harriette to enter onto the Vetskill Register of SQPs as a C-SQP for companion animals and become a Suitable Qualified Person.
Harriette is also a clinical coach which has enabled us to train our very own home grown nurses giving them the best start possible to their careers – a task Harriette excels at. She leads her team well and is always expanding her knowledge and experience. We’re lucky to have her!
This is Bethany and she is our administrator. She helps us stay organised by managing our diagnostic images, lab results and insurance claims along with a plethora of other administrative duties. Bethany is effective and systematic in her approach to her work.
Despite her role being non-clinical, it is nonetheless vital to the smooth running of our clinic and our clinical work would not be able to progress very far at all without members of staff like Bethany who keep things ticking over in the background. Bethany has a master’s degree in Zoology and has a particular interest in primates.
Carol is one of our most experienced Qualified Veterinary Nurses. You will all have met her at some point in your Sore Paws journey as she has been around since the very beginning. Carol is incredibly experienced: you name it and she has seen it, treated it, and given it a buster collar.
Carol is a reassuring presence in the clinic, giving guidance, instruction, and reassurance to less experienced colleagues and gives us all a good laugh with her dry sense of humour. Her dedication to the care of animals will keep her turning up early every day with her paper, ready to take on anything that comes through our door.
Meet Karen, bio coming soon!
