Future vet Nicole Vernon from Sarisbury Green was delighted to win a prize to visit behind the scenes of an RSPCA rescue centre after winning a photography contest.
The nine-year-old budding photographer won the ‘Paparazzi Pets’ competition at Sarisbury Junior School after snapping a shot of her five-year-old guinea pig Rosie wearing a Santa hat.
Nicole Vernon, her winning photo and pet guinea pig Rosie
Nicole’s photo was published in the school magazine Hotspot and the first prize award meant she and six friends got a special tour of the Stubbington Ark animal shelter.
“I thought it’d be a bit of fun to get involved and try it out,” said Nicole, who shares the family home in Brook Lane with two guinea pigs, a cat and lots of fish.
“I was really, really happy to win.”
Nicole and her friends recently visited the shelter where they saw scores of animals and wild fowl, the cattery, a quarantine area and the medical centre where the animals are treated. She was also awarded a certificate and a charity mug from the Ark.
It was a perfect treat for Nicole who loves spending time with her family pets and hopes to have a career as a vet when she grows up.
She enjoys photographing animals and also helps out to care and clean horses at a stable in Botley on Saturdays.
Her mum Debbie, 46, said the contest was suited for Nicole and added: “She does enjoy working with animals so it was an ideal opportunity. She snaps everything and anything. It’s certainly an enjoyment.”