Richard came into vetting later than most, having completed a degree in Agricultural Science. He met Helen in vet school and have now been married for 8 years and have two daughters. He spent his first year in mixed practice and then joined Rosie and Dick at Portishead. He has been partner in charge of Portishead for the last 3 years.
His private life is dominated by his family, home and garden which is full of pets.

Rosie Best

Rosie’s love of animals made her determined to become a vet from a very early age. She trained at Liverpool University where she met her husband Dick. After graduating they moved to Africa, working for ten years in the field. When they returned to England they established the original practice in Portishead, initially working on their own. Over the next 20 years the practice grew and in 1999 they handed over the reins to Richard and Vale Vets. This has given Rosie the freedom to enjoy working with animals again without having to worry about the business. Aside from her family life her spare time is spent flying her small plane.

After working for many years in Africa he returned with his wife and established the Portishead practice in 1980. Dick has worked for many years with the local farming community as well as treating companion animals. He now spends most of his time dealing with veterinary problems associated with birds. He works with a wide variety of birds from pets to backyard poultry, from racing pigeons to wildlife casualties, in fact anything wearing feathers!

Susan Warren-Cox

Susan initially worked at a mixed practice in Somerset after graduating from Bristol University. However, the desire to specialise in small animal work and to come back to the Bristol area, brought her to Portishead. She has been with the practice for seven years now, enjoying a wide variety of surgery and medicine in all small animals. Her spare time is spent with her husband mainly working on their house and garden.

Helen Bragg

Richard’s wife Helen is another Bristol graduate, and like her husband she also completed a degree in Animal Science on the way. Initially she worked in Clevedon but after the birth of their first daughter she left vetting to become a full-time mum. Now that her two girls are a little older she has come to work at Portishead on a part-time basis. She is also studying towards becoming a Veterinary Homeopath with the aim of bringing an holistic approach to veterinary care.