Aberystwyth Vet School plans expansion with major donation

Plans for expanded facilities for vet students at Aberystwyth University have taken a step forward thanks to a major bequest.

The £100,000 gift from the estate of the late Gordon Burrows will help fund a replica veterinary clinic on the University’s Penglais campus.

Once all the funds are secured, the new clinic will include standard facilities such as waiting, examination and treatment areas along with key equipment used for small animal care.

It will be used to train undergraduates on the BVSc Veterinary Science course, run in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), as well as students on Aberystwyth University’s new Veterinary Nursing degree which starts later this year.

Professor Darrell Abernethy, Head of Aberystwyth University’s School of Veterinary Science said:

“As part of their learning process, it is important that our students gain experience in veterinary clinical training and an understanding of the key equipment and processes undertaken at veterinary clinics. We are deeply grateful for this generous bequest which allows us to take a step forward with our plans to expand our facilities and further enhance the teaching we offer at Aberystwyth.”

An executor on behalf of the estate of the late Gordon Burrows said:

“Gordon Burrows would have been pleased to know that his legacy is contributing to the enhancement of veterinary training for future generations of students. It has been a privilege to work with the University to ensure the bequest makes a lasting contribution to the work of the first School of Veterinary Science in Wales in his memory.”

School of Veterinary Science

Aberystwyth’s Centre of Veterinary Science was officially opened by King Charles III in 2021, following an investment of more than £2 million in new teaching facilities on the University’s Penglais campus.

It offers students the opportunity to follow a BVSc Veterinary Science degree, in collaboration with the RVC.

Undergraduates spend their first two years at Aberystwyth University followed by three years studying at the RVC’s Hawkshead Campus in Hertfordshire.

The programme covers the full range of animals, from domestic pets to large farm animals.

As well as the facilities at the School of Veterinary Science and other laboratories on the Penglais campus, students also gain valuable experience on the University’s dairy and sheep farms, and the Lluest Equine Centre.

The course provides opportunities for students to study specific areas of veterinary science through the medium of Welsh, which is partly funded by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.