Members of the public were asked to nominate their veterinary surgery to show "their appreciation of veterinary staff going far beyond the call of duty in the interest of animal welfare, and to recognise the constant commitment, dedication, compassion and enthusiasm the veterinary teams show in their work."

From 3,000 veterinary surgeries (yes, three thousand!) nominated in the UK, 200 went into the first round. The 200 were then whittled down to the four finalists, and Melton Veterinary Surgery was among those four.

Brian Faulkner (principal) and three of his team attended the award ceremony, held on 7th April 2005, in Birmingham. The practice of the year was won by the Blue Cross charity hospital in London, and Melton Vets came joint runner-up.

Brian was quoted in the EADT as saying "We've only been going for two-and-a-half years. To be in the top four in the country is great."