Meet The Team
South Wales Farm Vets has been established independently since 2017. Although there are personal ties with Maesglas Vets and Park Vets, there are now no business links.
We are currently an eight vet team, all with our own particular interests and skills. The vets are looked after very well by our three receptionists – all of them at home on farms so with a good understanding of your needs also.
Here is a summary of the members of our team.
- Mary Walters
- Director
- BVSc Cert VR Cert CHP MRCVS
Mary qualified from the University of Bristol in 1993 and came to Park Vets straight after graduating to do a fully mixed job. She has gained post graduate qualifications in Veterinary Radiography, and Cattle Health and Production. She has taught veterinary radiography to nurses at Pencoed College and then Farm Animal Medicine and Surgery at the University of Bristol Farm Animal Hospital. She now enjoys all aspects of farm animal practice, in particular infectious diseases.
Outside work she helps her husband William on his arable farm and is a mum to Henry & Maggie. She is a keen badminton player, enjoys running and walking her fat jack Russell terrier.
- Rhian Matthews
- Director
- BSc (Hons) BVetMed MRCVS
Rhian first graduated with a BSc Hons in genetics and biochemistry from Cardiff University in 2006. After working for a large local dairy farm and then a beef and sheep station in New Zealand she decided to return to university to study veterinary medicine. After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in 2011 Rhian started with Maes Glas two days later, became a partner in the business and then a founder of South Wales Farm Vets.
Rhian is well known in the area due to her agricultural background and has also been an active member of the Glamorgan Young Farmers Federation since a tender age. She likes to keep busy outside work with her flock of Dutch Spotted sheep as well as the beef & sheep farm she runs with her husband Rhys and looking after her daughter Evie.
- Morgan Hanks
- Director
- BVSc MRCVS
After graduating from Bristol in July 2011, it was natural that Morgan join Park as a mixed vet having spent most of her student years seeing practice there. Morgan became part of the South Wales Farm Vets team when it was established in 2017, while still working 1 day per week at Park. She married a local dairy farmer in 2021 which keeps her busy at home.
When not in work she enjoys keeping fit including playing squash and helping out at her parents’ small holding.
- Thomas Searle
- BVetMed (Hons) MRCVS
After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in 2014, Tom started Park Vets as a mixed vet. He moved to South Wales Farm Vets when it was established due to his strong interest in farm practice. He enjoys all aspects of farm work, especially beef and sheep fertility/productivity. His special interests lie with advanced breeding in sheep hence he was the driving force in setting up the sheep embryo transfer and AI services at the practice.
He is currently trying his hand at woodworking and DIY with varying success! As well as tending his allotment during the spring and summer.
- Russell Fuller
- MA VetMB DBR MRCVS
Russell qualified from Cambridge University in 2003 and was awarded the Diploma in Bovine Reproduction by the University of Liverpool in 2016. After starting in traditional mixed practice he has worked in farm animal only practice since 2008, doing predominantly dairy work until joining us in 2018.
Russell’s professional interests are cattle reproduction, as well as ruminant nutrition. He has taught cattle foot trimming and mastitis courses at Hartpury College and is a registered cattle mobility scorer. Outside work, Russell has a keen interest in swimming, has taken up bodyboarding to take advantage of living near the coast and food, both cooking and eating.
- Sian Fuller
- BVSc MRCVS
A local girl, Sian is well known in the area due to her agricultural background and spent most of her time growing up on the family beef and sheep farm. Sian qualified from the University of Liverpool in 2004, having spent many of her student years riding around the area gaining experience with the local vets, often hearing the words “your dad built that shed”. After qualifying Sian worked in mixed practice in mid Wales and the south west of England before switching to farm animal only practice in 2012.
Sian has studied for a Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice, focusing on sheep health and production, and is a registered cattle mobility scorer. Outside work Sian is a keen hockey player, plays a little cricket in the summer and enjoys rugby, watching rather than playing these days.
- Rachel Davies
- PGC SAM BVetMed MRCVS
Having grown up on a beef and sheep farm in the Brecon Beacons, upon qualifying from the Royal Veterinary College of London in 2008, Rachel moved back to mid Wales. Here she worked in a mixed practice for 9 years before moving to the dark side and working in small animal only practice in 2017. Having decided that being clean and warm wasn’t for her Rachel she joined us on a part time basis in 2019. After a small break for the birth of her first child, Rachel returned to us and can once again be seen around the practice on a Monday and Thursday.
Outside of the practice Rachel is a keen skier trying to spend as much time on the slopes as possible although this may prove more challenging with a little one.
- Jimmy Jackson
- BVMS MRCVS
Jimmy, a hill farmer's son from the Scottish Highlands graduated from Glasgow Vet School, a little while back now. After qualifying Jimmy spent his working career in mixed practice in Central Scotland, doing predominantly farm work. Alongside his wife, also a vet, Jimmy ran his own mixed practice from 1985 until retirement in 2020. Following his retirement Jimmy moved to South Wales to be nearer both his daughters who live in South Wales. It didn’t take him long to become bored with retirement so he started working with us part time, vetting once again (and enjoying it)!
Jimmy’s wife is a farmer's daughter from South Wales so there is a family pull to the area. He has 3 children; the eldest daughter is an anaesthetist, the middle daughter is a teacher and the youngest son is a GP in Glasgow plus 3 grandchildren, 2 granddaughters and a grandson which all serve to keep him busy. Jimmy can be seen driving around in his Landrover Defender wondering why Welsh hill farmers chose to build their homesteads at the top of the hill rather than at the bottom like their Scottish counterparts.
- Sarah Woollatt
- BVetMed PGCert MRCVS
Sarah has worked in farm animal practice ever since she qualified from the Royal Veterinary College (London) in 2017. She found her love for farming and the countryside whilst at university, spending a lot more time lambing and calving than was strictly needed… After graduating, she migrated west (wherever more cows were) and worked across Hampshire, Wiltshire and then Somerset before moving to Cardiff in 2023. Sarah proudly claims half Welsh roots and is enjoying being closer to loved ones in South Wales now. On the veterinary side, she is nearly finished with a cattle certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice and has particular interests in infectious diseases, public health and teaching.
When off-duty, Sarah likes letting off steam on the hockey pitch, hiking, biking and cooking.
- Sian Lloyds
- Administration
Sian worked for Park Vets since leaving school, mostly in the office assisting the Farm Clients so it was a natural progression to join the team at South Wales Farm Vets when it was established. Sian is the TB guru in the office doing all the behind the scenes paperwork for the vets ahead of tests.
Outside of work she is kept busy renovating an old hill farm she shares with her Partner Rhys and son Dylan. She is enjoying the hands on experience of looking after their small holding and hopes to add some sheep and pigs to the collection in the future.
- Helen Dando
- Receptionist
Helen joined us in May 2018 as a receptionist after leaving her position as General Manager at a private women’s health clinic. You’ll mostly hear Helen’s bubbly personality when you contact the practice as she mans the office half the week. She lives on a local farm with husband Steve and son Lewis and also has a daughter Hannah.
Helen is well known in the farming community through her many years of being a member of Llantrisant YFC.
- Tracey Huntley
- Receptionist
Tracey joined the practice team in early 2019 as a receptionist but additionally with the growth of the advanced sheep breeding work in 2022 she has helped Tom with this work also. Tracey is a farmer’s wife, beef & sheep farming on a hill farm near Pontypridd. Married to Jonathan, they have 3 children, all interested in farming; Thomas, Ffion and Rhianne. Tracey is very much involved with the day to day running of the family business enjoying being outside, working with the stock on the farm and is a dab hand at lambing sheep.