Top Warwickshire vets Andrea and Simon Davies are toasting a remarkable double – their 20th wedding and work anniversaries!
The happy couple married in 1999 and later that year moved to the Leamington Spa area to start work as young vets at Avonvale Veterinary Centres.
Andrea & Simon on their wedding day
It’s certainly been a successful and eventful 20 years on both fronts. Simon is now clinical director at Avonvale’s flagship practice in Warwick, which is a first opinion veterinary centre and pet hospital, while Andrea is a senior veterinary surgeon at Avonvale’s Southam clinic.
The pet-loving pair, who live in Heathcote, also now have three children, Luke, 17, Oliver, 15, and Lauren, 10.
Simon admits Andrea was the trail-blazer, revealing: “Just after we were married, she was working as a locum for Avonvale at their Wellesbourne clinic and they were so impressed with her they offered her a full-time job.
“Andrea immediately asked if they’d take me on too – and they did! We’ve not looked back since.
“We moved to the Leamington area and honestly thought we might be here for a couple of years or so.
“Twenty years on we are still here, still working with Avonvale and we’ve no plans to move on – this is home now.”
Andrea also made the first move in the relationship stakes, when they were veterinary students at Bristol University in 1991.
She recalled: “It was in the Halls of Residence at Bristol University and I walked over to Simon and asked him if he liked Abba.
“He smiled and said ‘Yes’ and that’s how it all started.”
Andrea & Simon today
Nowadays they’re busy looking to the future with Avonvale, which has sites in Warwick, Kenilworth, Stratford, Heathcote, Southam, Wellesbourne and Cubbington, continuing to invest in industry-leading facilities, equipment and staff.
Andrea added: “There’s definitely benefits for us both working for the same company. Lots of what we do overlaps, we obviously know the same people and working at different sites means we are not under each other’s feet the whole time.”
Simon said: “The children are growing up fast, there’s universities, big exams and senior schools to think about these days so we are busy at home and at work – but that’s the way we like it.”
