Taking the plunge to represent Wales

I never thought that I would end up here! Throughout my veterinary journey, I had a very prescriptive plan and pathway laid out ahead of me, a path that plunged into a thick fog upon graduation. Given how competitive and intense the application process and degree can be, I hadn’t allowed myself to look ahead to what would happen next.

A little bit about me

My name is James Taylor and it is my honour to be the BVA representative for Wales. After graduating from Liverpool in 2019 I followed the crowd and took on a first opinion role in a small animal practice in South Wales. After COVID took its toll on both my health and my appetite for clinical practice, I took a step sideways into a mentoring role. I am now proud to call myself the president of Vet Mentor, a not-for-profit geared towards helping aspiring vets into vet school and widening access and interest in the veterinary profession.

A glutton for punishment, I took my newfound free time from a less intensive role to get involved in trying to make a larger difference for the veterinary profession as a whole, and that’s when I grabbed the opportunity to run for Welsh rep with both hands.

Photo: BVA Officers and BVA Welsh Branch with Lesley Griffiths, Wales’ Minister for Rural Affairs and Dr Richard Irvine, Wales' Chief Veterinary Officer

Meeting your heroes

I have always held my fellow vets in the highest esteem, feeling out of place amongst the lauded company of my BVA colleagues, so you can only imagine the level of excitement and nerves that came along with the slate of meetings I attended at the end of June.

We began with meeting Richard Irvine, the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Wales, alongside his team. Although the government security and weight of the moment could easily have made this a very stressful experience, Richard’s easygoing demeanour and the welcoming attitude of the whole office was beyond what I could have expected. I was able to contribute my knowledge of the application process and we had productive discussions around, among other things, the Aberystwyth School of Veterinary Science and the role it will play in the future of vets in Wales.

We then quickly moved between the beautiful old buildings in Cardiff to City Hall, where we had a fascinating, productive and extremely positive meeting with representatives from the Welsh farming unions. Being less in tune with farming issues, I was once again worried that I would be out of my depth - a fear that was quickly abated by the welcoming open discussion between representatives from all sides.

We finished the slate for the day hosting the AGM, my first real chance to get 1 to 1 feedback from our amazing BVA members, with a host of fascinating issues raised, building towards our priorities for the year ahead, and seeing the passion for change from across a wide variety of Welsh vets.

Getting dressed up

Finally, I changed from my day/meeting suit to my evening/fancy suit - fashion decisions that definitely came naturally, and didn’t take an hour of agonising! 6 months ago I would have only recognised a handful of people in the grandiose City Hall venue. However, in my short time as the Wales regional rep, it’s surprising how quickly strangers had become familiar faces. Mingling and working a room are definitely skills I still need to develop, but I was pleasantly surprised that people took the time to come and talk to me (by far the least important person in the building!).

This was quickly followed by speeches, an excellent meal with locally sourced Welsh food, and really productive conversations with ministers, university professors and representatives from every veterinary body you have (and haven’t) heard of!

Back to work!

The morning after the hugely successful Welsh dinner, we rounded off the slate of meetings by getting together with Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and were joined once more by Richard Irvine. We only had limited time, so our Welsh branch President Gwen took the lead and powered through a hefty agenda addressing all of the key legislation we’re keeping an eye on. We had a really productive discussion around how BVA can help to get the bills that we support passed.

Reflecting on those busy few days

I won’t lie and say that my path has become as clear as it was for my time at university. But somehow, being involved with BVA and meeting the many amazing people I have in this short time has allowed the sun to peek through that fog and renewed my drive to make a positive impact on the profession.

I would encourage anybody considering volunteering to take the opportunity with both hands - who knows where this journey can take you?