Building resilience has been the theme of Alexandra Taylor’s year as BVNA president – and she joins us to review some of those initiatives, as well as preview how the campaign will conclude at congress. Charlotte Pace, who will take over as president at congress, also joins us to provide an insight into her aims and objectives around the theme of empowerment. Mrs Taylor and Ms Pace also discuss the launch of two new BVNA toolkits over the coming months – one aimed at supporting student VNs, the other offering advice around the topic of pay. Congress takes place at Telford International Centre from 7 to 9 October. To learn more about this year’s event, look out for your copy of BVNA Congress Times, being mailed with September‘s VN Times. ____________________________ 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗫 𝗧𝗔𝗬𝗟𝗢𝗥 𝗥𝗩𝗡, 𝗖&𝗚, 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗦𝗔𝗡, 𝗜𝗦𝗙𝗠𝗗𝗶𝗽𝗙𝗡, 𝗜𝗦𝗙𝗠 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗙𝗕 Alex qualified as a nurse in 1997, and has worked in both first opinion and referral practice. She is especially interested in feline nursing – and has completed both the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) feline nursing certificate and diploma, as well as the ISFM Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour. Alex runs her own company, “The Cat Nurse”, where she offers CPD about feline nursing and behaviour. She also volunteers for Milton Keynes and District Cats Protection, where she runs workshops about cat behaviour and care for groups of adults and children. A member of the ISFM Feline Wellbeing Panel, Alex has a particular interest in nutrition, behaviour and stress-related diseases. She has been a BVNA council member since 2018 and is the association’s president for 2021-22. ____________________________ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗕𝗔(𝗛𝗼𝗻𝘀), 𝗥𝗩𝗡, 𝗩𝗧𝗦(𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆-𝗜𝗠), 𝗣𝗚𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁(𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗘𝗱), 𝗙𝗛𝗘𝗔 Charlotte qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2003, while working in practice in London. In the same year she moved to the RVC to work as a medicine nurse. In 2006, she became the dedicated cardiology nurse for the RVC Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. In 2010, Charlotte passed American veterinary technician exams and became the first nurse to hold the cardiology qualification outside the US. Since 2012, she has taught veterinary nurses on both degree and diploma programmes. Charlotte returned to veterinary practice in 2015 – she works at Vets4Pets in Cambridge – and continues to write and lecture on veterinary cardiology. Charlotte will become BVNA president for 2022-23 at congress.