Top dog Hattie gets 10 Downing Street invite

A dog from the Scottish Borders was invited to Britain's most famous address for an event celebrating the NHS.

Sealyham terrier Hattie joined members of Coldstream Medical Practice and Borders MP John Lamont at 10 Downing Street to represent the surgery at an NHS Champions reception marking the health service's 75th anniversary.

She belongs to practice manager Yvonne Archibald who started bringing her to work as a puppy and she quickly became a firm favourite with staff and patients.

John Lamont, said: “It was a pleasure to join Emma, Yvonne and Hattie the dog at Downing Street for a reception to honour local NHS heroes.

“I nominated Coldstream Medical Practice because it is very highly regarded by the local community and it did incredible work to help people through the challenges of the Covid pandemic.

“As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS, it is very worthwhile to reflect on the huge debt of gratitude that we owe NHS staff.”

Yvonne Archibald, practice manager at Coldstream Medical Practice, said: “We were delighted to be nominated to represent the practice team at the NHS Champions reception at Downing Street.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see inside Number 10 and it was really interesting to meet other NHS staff from across the country.

“It was lovely that we were allowed to bring along Hattie, our practice dog, to the event. She’s a huge part of the practice team and acts as an unofficial therapy pet for both patients and staff and she definitely won some hearts on the night."