Westport Veterinary Clinic’s new Winchburgh branch opened its doors to the local community on Saturday 7 March, welcoming the public – and plenty of their dogs – to its official open day. With glorious sunshine and a full programme of activities, the day proved a fantastic celebration for the team and visitors alike.
Senior Vet and Managing Director Stuart McMorrow welcomed visitors into the practice, where they were greeted with a waggy-tailed welcome from therapy dog Oakley before enjoying a behind-the-scenes tour of the newly refurbished clinic.
Oakley the Therapy Dog welcomed open day guests
Guests had the opportunity to explore the practice and meet the team, learning about the services offered, the different roles within the clinic, and what life inside a veterinary practice is really like.
(L) Roxy popped in for a treat and a chin-wag
R) Bonnie enjoyed a visit with her owner
Younger visitors were able to transform into mini veterinary surgeons by taking part in a mock surgery experience with vet Yasmin. Yasmin also cared for several teddy bear patients during the day, giving them health checks and even vaccinations.
(Top L) Erinn Devlin(4) and Conor Devlin(7) enjoying their surgery experience
(L) Emily Laird and Alice Laird perform surgery with Vet Andrew
R) Emily Laird and Alice Laird celebrating a successful surgery with Vet Yasmin
Vet Andrew gave demonstrations on animal health checks and how to listen to heart rates, assisted by his own Springer Spaniel, Beanz. He also spoke to visitors about animal eye health and joined Yasmin to help some of the junior surgeons during their teddy bear procedures
(L) Vet Andrew demonstrates listening to a dogs heart with his own dog Beanz (Springer Spaniel)
R) Vet Yasmin vaccinating a visiting teddy bear patient
RVN Nicola and receptionist Nicky kept refreshments and fresh baking flowing throughout the day, while other team members ran treasure hunts for children, chatted with clients and enjoyed plenty of chin-wags with the canine guests.
(L) Mia and Emma at The Cats Whiskers Tombola – handing out prizes to Conor and Erinn Devlin.
(Top R) RVN Amanda and Vet Yet Yasmin
R) Head Receptionist RVN Audrey and Receptionist Nicky
Activities included treasure hunts, charity hamper raffles, a “Guess the Number of Gravy Bones” competition and a “Waggiest Tail” contest. A popular tombola stall was also run by The Cats Whiskers Alva, raising funds for the charity.
(L) Brodi with his Open Day goodie bag
R) Vet Stuart enjoying a chin-wag with Cora
With more than fifty visitors and many four-legged guests attending, it was a busy and enjoyable day for everyone involved.
(L) Happy Cora enjoying a cuddle
R) Baxter – the first visitor to the Open Day event
The first visitor to the open day was puppy Baxter, who also holds the honour of being the very first client seen at the new Winchburgh practice. The team were also delighted to welcome Brodi, winner of the 2025 Hugo’s Hero Award.
Senior Vet Stuart McMorrow said:
“It was a great day meeting lots of clients, both old and new.
“The star attraction was one of our vets, Yaz (Yasmin), performing abdominal surgery on a stuffed dog with the children who came along. We’re not sure who enjoyed it more.”
RVN Amanda, who organised the Winchburgh open day event, said:
“What a great day we had at the open day, seeing clients we have met over the last few months and meeting so many new ones.
“One of the aspects of veterinary nursing that I love most is getting to know the clients and pets. It’s such a privilege to build those relationships and help in any way we can. I’m really looking forward to welcoming all our new patients.”
(L) Senior Vet Stuart McMorrow and RVN Amanda announce the winner of “Guess the Number of Gravy Bones” Competition
(R) Everyone loved getting involved in the soft toy surgery!
Erinn Devlin (4) and Conor Devlin (7) attended the event with their mum Gemma. They vaccinated their dog teddy, performed surgery with Vet Yasmin, won several tombola prizes and completed the practice treasure hunt.
Conor told the team it had been “the best day of his life”.
(L) Branch popped in for some treats with the team
R) Roxy having a chin-wag at reception
Emma, Mia and Moira from The Cats Whiskers Alva said:
“The open day at Westport Vets on 7 March was a brilliant day out for The Cats Whiskers fundraising team. We arrived to a friendly, welcoming group of staff and were given a tour of the building and its excellent facilities.
“The interactive mini surgery for children was a fantastic idea and we loved watching the kids become mini surgeons.”
Their tombola stall raised £59.05 for the charity thanks to the generosity of visitors and staff.
“The whole team at Westport Vets are very knowledgeable and clearly passionate about animal care. We would love to come back to any future open day events at Westport to help spread awareness of our independent charity and meet more of their staff and customers.
“Thank you to everyone for being so warm and welcoming and for all their hard work on the day. We think it was a roaring success.”
The winner of the “Waggiest Tail” competition was puppy Mylo Simmons, who went home with a selection of dog goodies.
‘Wellness Hamper Raffle’ in aid of Endometriosis UK (L) and
‘Prize Hamper Raffle’ in aid of The Cats Whiskers (R
Tickets are still available for two charity hamper raffles, which will both be drawn at the end of March.
The “Wellness Hamper”, in aid of Endometriosis UK, has tickets available from Westport Vets South Queensferry and will also be available at the Endometriosis Coffee Morning on Saturday 21 March from 9.40am to 1pm in The Garden Room at The Priory Church in South Queensferry. Anyone unable to attend can contact sqf@westportvets.com to enter.
The “Prize-Filled Hamper”, in aid of The Cats Whiskers Alva, has tickets available from the Westport Vets Winchburgh branch, or by contacting winchburgh@westportvets.com.
Team Westport said:
“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended the Winchburgh open day. It was a fantastic day and we loved seeing you all there.
“A special thank you also goes to Oakley the therapy dog and her lovely owner. Oakley did a wonderful job welcoming visitors with a gentle boop and a waggy tail.”
Westport Vets – Winchburgh
(5 Canal View, Winchburgh EH49 7SF)
Westport Veterinary Clinic welcomes new clients across its branches in Edinburgh, Linlithgow, South Queensferry and Winchburgh, as well as its out-of-hours emergency service, Westport24. Clients can register in person at any branch, by phone or email, or via the website westportvets.com.
@westportvets Westport Vets Winchburgh Open Day – thank you to everyone who came – a fantastic day! #Winchburgh #Vets #event #Westlothian #pets ♬ Motivation Guitar – eggTunes
