A CELERBRITY guest has officially opened the new £16 animal hospital in Essex.

Southfield Veterinary Specialist, one of the largest hospitals in Europe, official opened its doors last night in Basildon.

The special event welcomed more than 150 visitors to the new purpose-built 42,000 sq ft referral centre.

BBC presenter, Nick Baker, known for his role in Springwatch and Autumnwatch Unsprung, joined Southfields’ parent companies Mars Veterinary Health and Linnaeus to mark the opening.

Guests were treated to tours of Southfields’ multidisciplinary referral centre, while members of all 14 specialist-led services were also on hand to speak to visitors.

Special guest Nick said he was impressed by the quality of the new Southfields centre.

He said: “It was a privilege to be able to visit Southfields and take a tour of the new hospital.

“As someone who is heavily involved in the animal world, I fully recognise the importance of vets and the work they do.

“There is no doubt this is an incredibly impressive animal hospital and it was my pleasure to be able say a few words as part of the official opening event.”

Joining presenter and author Nick in addressing the audience was Linnaeus chief executive Bart Johnson and Southfields hospital director Daniel Hogan.

Daniel said the event was a great opportunity to both introduce referring colleagues to the cutting-edge new hospital, while also thanking his team for their efforts. 

He added: “It was great to see so many people take up our offer to come along to the new hospital and the event was a fantastic way to officially mark our opening.

“I was delighted to able to welcome Nick to Southfields and show him around our amazing new facilities.

“He was very impressed with what he saw and it was a nice boost for the team to see him. 

“Everyone has worked incredibly hard to get this ambitious project completed.

“From the backing of Mars and Linnaeus, through to the team rolling up our sleeves to help get the move over the line, it really has been a huge effort.

“The event was a fantastic way to mark our official opening and I’d like to thank everyone who came along on the night.”

Southfields’ state-of-the-art new hospital has seven operating theatres, 16 consultation rooms, recovery suites, lecture halls, a dedicated ICU department, plus plans for a future hydrotherapy suite.

The facilities also include a cutting-edge imaging suite, comprehensive treatment facilities and a new linear accelerator to assist the hospital’s world-renowned oncology team.