Staff
GAWF is fortunate to have a dedicated workforce in the UK and Greece working tirelessly for the animals.
Staff in Greece
Carol McBeth V.N. – Director in Greece
Carol qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1970. Prior to moving to Greece with her husband in 1988, she was head veterinary nurse in the Surgery Department of Glasgow Veterinary School and part time lecturer of veterinary nursing.
Since she has lived in Greece, she has been involved in the animal welfare sector, joining GAWF in 1996. She has completed a part time course on Animal Welfare Science at Cambridge University as well as an RSPCA 'Train the Trainers Course'.
Carol's hobbies include horse riding, walking, swimming and reading.
Evgenia Mataragka – Campaign Coordinator and Executive Secretary
Evgenia was born in Germany and has lived in Greece since she was 5 years old. She joined GAWF in 2005 and is responsible for campaigns, translations, liaising with local and national government officials and general office work.
She is a committed animal lover having a large family of 4 cats and is a volunteer for the 9 Lives Cat Society.
Amalia Kountouri – Veterinary Surgeon
Amalia, MRCVS, MSc qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1993 from the Veterinary School of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki and worked in the GAWF mobile clinic on a daily basis for two years. In 1999 she completed a Masters in Wild Animal Health at the RVC, sponsored by GAWF. She now works as a semi volunteer on outreach neutering programmes for GAWF and teaches music in Athens.
Staff in the UK
Lucy Westmore – Head of UK Operations
Lucy has worked at the League Against Cruel Sports as Campaigns Manager, in animal sanctuaries both in the UK and the USA, for the National anti-vivisection Society and has spent time rehabilitating native wildlife here and abroad. Following a short stint working on the Greek island of Rhodes in 1994 Lucy always hoped to get the chance to take up a position with an organisation working to improve the welfare of Greek animals. She took up the post with GAWF in July 2006, bringing over ten years of animal welfare experience with her.
Barbara Honeysett – Finance and Administration Officer
Barbara came to GAWF during the summer of 2007 as a volunteer, having been a supporter for many years.
Barbara has been passionate about animal welfare since the 1980s when she was handed a leaflet in her local high street which detailed the dreadful abuses of animals in vivisection laboratories, factory farms etc. She currently volunteers at an animal sanctuary and is involved with her local branch of Cats Protection, which has kindly supplied her nine resident felines!
The equine project team
Janet Eley VN. BVSc. MRCVS – Project Coordinator
Janet has worked almost exclusively with equines since qualifying as a vet in 1977. She was principal of an equine practice for 10 years before joining the vet team at The Donkey Sanctuary.
Janet has lectured in the UK, Europe, Canada and Malaysia on equine welfare and healthcare to vets, owners and welfare persons. She has written articles for the press and veterinary journals as well as four equine healthcare books.
In 1993 she did her first outreach visit for GAWF and in 1999 she was invited by GAWF to organise and supervise an equine project which has now grown to include a team of vets, farriers and dentists who treat 1000 equines each year in about 50 days of outreach.
Garry Draper CEq/d – Equine Dentist
Garry first started working for the equine team in 2001 and has provided dental training for numerous Greek vets and lay persons and carried out dental work on thousands of equines.
Garry qualified in America at the Worldwide Association of Equine Dentistry in Idaho and is authorised to run training courses anywhere in the world. He currently runs an equine dental practise that carries out work across Europe with the help of various veterinary and welfare groups.
Elisa Geskou – Veterinary surgeon, Equine dentist and Assistant project organiser
Elisa Geskou is a Greek veterinary surgeon and in 2003, not long after graduating, she noticed a GAWF announcement at her University in Thessaloniki, offering training to vets interested in equines. This is how her relationship with GAWF began.
Since then she has been working as a private vet and has also taken part in GAWF’s Equine Project work. Elisa has attended a number of outreach visits as a vet and a dentist (she was trained by GAWF in dentistry in the UK) and has treated many equines in need. She has owned a horse for 15 years and is very interested in equine welfare in her country so also helps by dealing with welfare complaints, giving advice and producing educational material for GAWF.
Kleopatra Triantafyllou – Equine veterinary surgeon
Kleo graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2005. In her last year of training she met GAWF’s team at one of their seminars for vet students and applied for the GAWF scholarship – which she received.
After gaining her qualification she was trained as an equine dentist in the UK and gained valuable experience in all aspects of equine medicine. Since then, and only with a short break for a year to complete her Master’s Degree, she has been a member of GAWF’s team, helping working equines all around Greece.
Giannis Brastianos – Farrier
Giannis has been working as a farrier since 2002. In 2004, following a conversation with a vet about GAWF’s work he contacted the equine team and accompanied them on a couple of outreach visits so that his skills could be tested.
Following this he was offered the chance, through GAWF funding, to qualify as a farrier and thus became a member of the Equine Project where he remains up to now. Today he shares his time between being a professional farrier and a farrier for all the working equines all around Greece through GAWF’s project.
