Hi, I’m Elaine, and the MD and Founder of Animal Friends Insurance.
I’m also a lifelong animal lover and have shared my home with many “animal friends” over the years. As you’ll see I love dogs and always carry packets of Schmakos in my bag in case I meet some waggy tailed friends on my travels – which I usually do! I also have 6 cats and 2 tortoises at home.
I’ve also been riding and around horses all my life. I have my BHS Stage 1 & 2 exams and I used to love teaching at my local riding school where I started and ran the British Gas Equestrian Club. I have looked after and owned a number of horses from a New Forest pony to Danish and Dutch Warmbloods but my favourite has to be my old Cob “Smellie”.
I took him on when he had bad emphysema and I brought him back to full health with lots of tlc, he then went on to win a number of veteran events and was a real character, enjoying orangeade and Cornetto ice creams!
My greatest joy in heading our enthusiastic team here at Animal Friends is being able to help so many animal charities and meeting some wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to helping needy animals worldwide. I hope we can welcome your “animal friend” soon!
Hi, I’m Chris, Legal and Marketing Director of Animal Friends Insurance.
Like Elaine I am also a lifelong animal lover – in fact Elaine and I actually met at a riding stables! As a kid all I wanted to do was to become a second David Attenborough but somehow I became a lawyer instead. After qualifying as both a Barrister and then solicitor Elaine and I set up our own law firm on the South Coast where we still did what we could for animal charities by giving free advice and helping with fund raising. That gave us a taste to do more and Elaine came up with the idea for Animal Friends which we then mortgaged everything to set up.
That was some years ago and now Animal Friends has become a big company insuring many thousands of pets and horses countrywide with the support of our fantastic team here at our Wiltshire HQ. This will mean Animal Friends will go from strength to strength, helping Elaine and I fulfil our dream to assist many more animal charities worldwide.
Over the years Elaine and I have shared our home with many kinds of animal friends from hamsters and gerbils to Henry the 8 foot Indian Python, with a mix of cats, horses and dogs in between. Currently 6 cats and 2 tortoises let us share their house!
Hi I'm Paula, Sales Manager
I’ve been an animal lover for as long as I can remember and have always grown up with dogs as part of the family.
This is me with my ‘baby’ Sidney the English Bull Terrier. He’s quite a character and seriously thinks he’s human. He loves being cuddled and rolling around in garden after he’s just been washed. When Sid was 9 weeks old he had to undergo a huge operation to save his life due to issues with his digestive system.
It really makes you realise just how important it is to have pet insurance. I’m proud to work for a company full of like minded people who all have a love for animals.
Hi I’m Emma, Customer Services Manager
I’ve always had a keen interest in animals from a very young age. My love of animals lead me to volunteering in two Zoo’s, and more recently flying to the Caribbean on a volunteer conservation project for Leatherback Turtles and educating the local community.
I now have two mischievous, Domestic Shorthair cats called Aj and Milo who have completely different personalities. AJ is very independent and will regularly bring home frogs and birds for me to nurse and set free, and Milo - who normally follows me everywhere has a habit of waking me for food at 4am by smacking me on the face with his paw, so you can rest assured he never goes hungry! Aj and Milo have recently made friends with a pretty female cat who cheekily sneaks in and steals their biscuits!
It’s really great to be working with so many people that are as passionate about animals as I am.
Hi, I'm Westley, Claims Manager.
I’ve grown up around pets and particularly enjoy exercise with the family dog. I have worked in the insurance industry for 15 years and have spent the last 10 years specialising in all different types of insurance claims, including Employers Liability, Public Liability, Property, Motor, Clinical negligence and of course pet insurance. I am a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and have achieved accreditation.
Hi, I'm Kate, Sales Team Leader
I am a great lover of animals and in the picture is my 4 year old dog, Ben! He is an Old English Sheepdog. He enjoys playing football, running around in our local field and loves long walks.
Ben is a very friendly dog, loves every person he comes across and also enjoys sleeping! I also have a cat named Dylan and a horse called Black Mare.
I have a lifelong passion for horses and in the past I have owned many horses as I have ridden since a very young age. I have competed in many competitions all across the country.
Hi, I’m Vicky, Customer Services Team Leader
I have grown up with dogs throughout my childhood and I now have two dogs of my own. Poppy who is a West Highland Terrier cross Bichon Frise and Tink, a West Highland Terrier who is also Mum to Poppy.
Poppy and Tink have very different characters, Poppy has more of a relaxed personality whereas Tink is a bit of a wild child! They are both very friendly and love attention, whether from other dogs or people. They are great companions and I wouldn’t be without them!
Hi, I'm Tara, Management Accountant.
I come from an animal loving family and have never known life without pets. We currently have 2 dogs, 5 cats, 1 cockerel, 2 hens and 6 chicks!
The photo is of myself and our dogs Jasper (Border Collie) and Cody (Labrador).
Although Cody is now 12 he still enjoys his walks mainly because he knows that at the end of it there’s always food! Jasper is a typical Border Collie with bags of energy and just loves chasing his ball and taking part in dog agility.
The 6 chicks are home reared and we were lucky enough to actually see one of the chicks hatching.
Recently one of our cats (Scampi) was injured by a car and unfortunately lost one of her back legs. During this time it was wonderful to work for a company where everyone understood how upsetting this experience was and were very supportive with advice and help.
Hi, I'm Tony, Customer Services Advisor
I've been a friend to the animals since I was a young child. Having grown up on a small farm, I developed a lifelong love of all creatures big and small. In fact my first "pet" was a pig that I named Snowball.
My love of animal-kind runs deep, I'm a strict vegetarian and prior to my work here at Animal Friends I spent time travelling around the world. During this time, I found myself volunteering as an administrator in a free clinic for animals in Sweden, as well as helping out as part of a fundraising team for a non-governmental financed animal shelter in California.
In my role here at Animal Friends, I hope to be able to help as many of you as I can to help your animals lead long and happy lives.
Hi, I'm Mark, Sales Advisor
I have worked with Animal Friends since January 2010. I'm pictured here with my cat Charlotte, she is coming up to 21! As you can see she doesn't look her age it must be all that oil of olay!! Charlotte has a very good diet and she is very active for a 20 year old (sometimes.) She play's like a kitten and is fond of Bounty the Cocker Spaniel next door!!
I like working with Animal Friends because I care a lot about animals and I like the fact we help animal charities all over the world.
Hi, I'm Carla, Sales Advisor/Administrator
I have loved animals since a very young age and have had various animals ranging from rabbits to fish!
I look after a cat named Dylan and he is 12 years old. Dylan is a domestic cat that loves sleeping and eating just like every other cat!
A few years ago when Dylan was 4 years old, he was involved in an RTA.
This was when his owners were on holiday and I was looking after him, I was only 14 years old at the time so I was quite scared!
But thankfully, he made a full recovery and now is a healthy playful cat!
Sales Team
Mark, Carla, Beth, Gemma, Emily, Charlotte, Kate, Angela, Jayne
Claims Team
Steph, Amanda, Carina, Emma, Helen, Lara & Lindy
Hi I’m Amanda, Claims Team Leader, I joined animal friends just under a year ago having previously worked as a vet nurse for 9 and a half years. I have 2 cats. My interests are travelling, cooking, dancing and trying to learn Greek /Albanian!
Hi I’m Lindy, Claims Assessor, I’ve spent 10 years working in insurance and 9 years as a vet nurse. I have 3 horses and 4 dogs I love nothing better than exercising them all in my spare time.
