PETTASTIC LANCASHIRE

Press release date: 16-May-2007

Two of Lancashire’s biggest animal enthusiast organisations are partnering up to launch a series of initiatives aimed at getting those that work with our furry friends off to a flying start.    

Lancashire based Oscar Pet Foods, the UK’s leading pet food delivery company is working with Myerscough College, one of the largest in the field of animal care, to create and launch a qualification that its franchisees across the country can take online to improve their working and theoretical knowledge of pets.  In return Oscar Pet Foods provides a bursary for well performing students at the college.

The home delivery pet food company puts animals, their behaviour and nutritional well-being first. Its Higher Walton-based franchise business, which has more than 100 vans on the road, has embraced a ‘You Are What You Eat’ philosophy in relation to pets.  Oscar Pet Foods delivers specially formulated, nutritionally balanced diets, to reflect the needs of each individual pet, direct to the door.

Myerscough College specialises in a range of animal qualifications and research. With centres across the North West, and a dedicated Animal Academy at its main site in Preston, this well-established college offers courses from entry to degree level and supports research in the areas of animal care, equine studies, veterinary nursing and agriculture.

The new Oscar Pet Foods online qualification, being created exclusively with Myerscough, will test the company’s franchisees’ know-how in the areas of nutrition, behaviour, training and veterinary support, in order to enable them to offer a fully rounded service to their extensive customer base and qualify them as Nutritional Advisors.

The course is just the latest link between Oscar Pet Foods and Myerscough. The company established two bursaries for Myerscough students (in 2006 and is set to continue this in 2007), with awards given to the best performing students on Mammalian Nutrition and Breeding course – one for the Foundation Degree and one for the BSc programme.

Oscar Pet Foods has also welcomed several Myerscough graduates into the company, including Gemma Charlton who is currently working as a nutritional advisor with the OscarDirect side of the business, the company’s customer centre that provides all UK residents with direct access to pet food supplies and advice, and Shelley Aspden who is the company’s animal behaviourist consulting with franchisees and clients on all aspects of animal behaviour.

The college’s Hydrotherapy Unit has also benefited from a truckload of Oscar Pet Food gluten-free treats, which were supplied to aid the attention of dogs being treated in the unit.
Oscar Pet Foods Sales and Marketing Director Richard Dancy said: “Oscar Pet Foods is delighted to be working with Myerscough College. They are a valued partner and a well-respected voice of authority in the animal world. Their expertise is second to none, and will be of real benefit to our franchisees as they go about their everyday work.”
Richard added: “It’s really interesting to be working with Myerscough again as many of their graduates come to work for our company. We are committed to aiding the future of talented professionals who work with animals and hope that our support continues to benefit the college and its students, assisting the fantastic work that they do there.”
Stuart Davidson of Myerscough College, said: “We have a long standing relationship with Oscar Pet Foods, so are pleased to be working with them again. The Oscar Pet Foods bursary and support of the Hydrotherapy unit have been invaluable and we are delighted to be helping the company take their own animal expertise to the next level. We hope the course and subsequent qualification will be of real use to its workforce and we will support them through their studies in any way that we can.”