Alderney vet leaves, blaming lack of grant for the practice
ALDERNEY'S States vet Helen Dickinson has decamped to the Falkland Islands, saying she could no longer afford to run the island's practice.
In her absence the island is using cover from Jersey.
Ms Dickinson, pictured, has taken up an 18-month government veterinary post based in Stanley, in the New Year.
Her departure means that Alderney is left without a resident vet.
Before she left on Sunday Mrs Dickinson said she was excited by the challenge but said the going was bitter sweet.
'Making the decision to leave after 10 years has not been easy but in the end it was one I had to make,' she said.
'In a small, isolated community like Alderney, although veterinary cover is an essential service, the surgeon providing it is not eligible for a grant to sustain it, as they are, for example, in remote parts of the European Community. Unfortunately, in this non-EC country, my savings, which I was using to subsidise the veterinary service, have run out, and I cannot afford to stay any longer caring for the animals of Alderney. I feel terrible leaving my patients, but I just cannot afford to provide the service any longer.'
