The Duchess of Cornwall visits the University's School of Veterinary Sciences

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall on a visit to the School of Veterinary Sciences in 2007 School of Veterinary Sciences

Press release issued: 23 February 2012

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall, as Patron of the Langford Trust for Animal Health and Welfare, has officially opened two new state-of-the-art facilities at the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences at Langford today [Thursday, February 23]. The new facilities will provide an environment for delivering the best possible medical and surgical treatments for both large and small animal patients.

The large animal surgery centre, to be known as the Alborada Building, will house two new operating theatres and anaesthesia and recovery boxes. This will provide the University’s equine centre with some of the best facilities in the region and confirm the University’s Veterinary School as a centre of excellence for the treatment and care of horses and farm animals, the training of undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary surgeons and for advancing knowledge through clinical research.

The Veterinary School’s new small animal surgery has five theatres, an intensive care unit, a dedicated anaesthesia induction and recovery ward and diagnostic imaging facilities.

The imaging facilities in the School will now include a 16-slice CT scanner for small animals and standing horses, digital radiography, high-resolution fluoroscopy, diagnostic ultrasound, echocardiography and scintigraphy with a high-resolution 1.5 tesla MRI scanner, available seven days a week.

The CT scanner is used for imaging the heads of conscious horses, while dogs and cats are able to undergo complete body scans while sedated using the same unit. As well as enabling the early detection and diagnosis of disease, the imaging unit will contribute to the body of knowledge of disease pathogenesis.

Both new facilities are run by Langford Veterinary Services Ltd, a totally owned subsidiary of the University of Bristol.

Professor Jo Price, Head of the School of Veterinary Sciences, said: “We are very grateful to the Langford Trust which has provided generous support for the Alborada Building and has previously raised funds for the University’s equine and small animal facilities.

“The two new state-of-the-art facilities will enable our undergraduate and postgraduate students to be taught in world-class facilities that provide an environment for delivering the best standards of patient care for both small and large animals.”

Sir David Wills Bt, Chairman of the Langford Trust, added: “We were delighted to welcome The Duchess of Cornwall back to the University’s School of Veterinary Sciences.

“The opening of these two facilities is an exciting time for both the Langford Trust and the University’s Veterinary School and we are extremely grateful to the Alborada Trust for helping make today’s event possible.“

The Langford Trust is a charity that supports the University’s School of Veterinary Sciences to promote the practice, advancement and teaching of veterinary science. Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall has been Patron of the Trust since 2006 and is the Trust’s first Patron.

Further information

The Langford Trust was founded in 1990, following recognition of the need to improve the facilities at the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences necessary to accommodate an increase in the number of undergraduate veterinary and veterinary nursing students. The Trust has provided funds to expand both clinical facilities and teaching space and supports clinical research.

The Alborada Building is named after the racemare owned by Miss Kirsten Rausing. Alborada was the winner of six races and placed four times from ten starts, and was rated the World’s best Three-Year-Old Filly over intermediate distances in 1998.

The Alborada Trust was founded on 1 October 2001. The charity’s aims include the funding of veterinary causes in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with activities primarily devoted to the welfare of animals and/or in their associated research.

The Alborada Trust also assists with projects throughout the world associated with the relief of poverty, human suffering, sickness or ill health and it is also active in the advancement of education.

Please contact joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk for further information.