A North Somerset vet has been awarded along with his family for their fundraising efforts in aid of animal health charity PetSavers.

North Somerset Times: Mario Amaral da SilvaMario Amaral da Silva (Image: supplied)

Steve Tasker, of Watkins and Tasker Veterinary Group, was joined by his wife Séverine and two children Amélie and Loic at the Petplan Veterinary Awards Ceremony, during which they were presented with the PetSavers Achievement Award 2015 by TV personality Alexander Armstrong.

They were given the accolade in recognition of the efforts they put into raising £1,400 at a charity cycling event.

Steve said: “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of friends, family, colleagues and clients.

“Although PetSavers is dedicated to improving the health of pets, much of their crucial clinical research funding has been cut back, hence an increasing reliance on fundraising to help bridge the gap.

“It is such a worthwhile charity but I never expected a fun, family day out to raise this amount, and certainly didn’t expect to win an award. The whole family is delighted.”

In another celebration for the veterinary group, which has branches in Nailsea, Portishead and Yatton, a vet at its Nailsea base, Mario Amaral, has been awarded a BSAVA postgraduate certificate in small animal medicine with a distinction by Nottingham Trent University. The qualification has fuelled his interest in small animal internal medicine and he can add this to his specialisms which include exotic animals such as snakes and parrots.