Catherine, author of Shona the Vet, ready to take copies to the Post Office.
When Catherine Stables submitted her book Shona the Vet: A Coast to Coast Adventure to Foggie Toddle Books she never imagined that she would find herself sending a copy to every primary school in Scotland!
But that’s exactly what’s happened this week. Last year we were approached by Dr Karen Gardiner who runs a charity called Futurevets-Scotland and asked if we could create a special edition of Shona the Vet to be sent out to schools across Scotland.
Dr Gardiner founded Future Vets Scotland after the strenuous efforts required for her two daughters to get the work experience necessary to study veterinary medicine, and the reduction in the number of pupils going into the profession.
She said: “There is a perception that competition is high but the reality is the number applying is falling and with an ageing vet population we need more young vets.
“FVS guides children of all ages through the process of becoming a vet. It offers online and in-person resources for primary and secondary age pupils including real-life interviews with vets telling their stories to inspire and inform pupils; a database that matches pupils with places that offer work experience and mentorship; advice for school careers advisors; and links to the admissions teams in all three Scottish vet schools.”
After a brief discussion, author Catherine and Foggie Toddle Books’ owner Jayne Baldwin gave the go ahead for the special edition to be created and Dr Gardiner gained the support of the country’s three centres of veterinary medicine – the University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh and Scotland’s Rural College. A new edition was created including information about the charity and the training available in Scotland.
Sheila Voas, Chief Veterinary Officer (Scotland), said: “This is a fantastic initiative which I hope will get more children thinking about Veterinary Studies as a possible future career option. My thanks to Karen and the Scottish vet schools for making it possible.
“I hope the stories in the book will inspire the dreams of children, while the resources for schools and pupils on the Future Vets website will offer practical support which can make that dream come true.”
Catherine took on the job of creating the massive mail out of the book along with the accompanying letter from Dr Gardiner. She packed 2500 envelopes, and can be seen in our photos heading to her local post office! The books should arrive in schools by the end of February.
Catherine said: “I thought it would be good to have a female main character as vet, it’s not well known that 85% of vets are women. And I wanted to show Scottish creatures other than highland cows and Nessie!
“You never know what animals you’ll see as a vet – no two days are the same. It’s never boring! And it’s really rewarding when you see animals getting better.”
Foggie Toddle Books owner Jayne Baldwin said: “As a very small independent publisher, we are absolutely delighted to have been able to help this excellent project with a special edition of Shona the Vet. We hope it will encourage a new generation of children to consider being a vet as a career.”
Author Catherine Stables with 2500 copies of her book Shona the Vet