Emma joined Derwent Valley Vets in 2022 when she accepted the position of Head Veterinary Nurse at the practice. Being put in the position of leading a team of very experienced and confident nurses could of been very daunting; Emma not only rose to the challenge but soon settled in, and with hard work and a listening ear, quickly earnt the respect of the other member of her team.

Emma initially studied for a degree in education at Sheffield Hallam University before moving into the veterinary world in 2014. She with in trained with Bottle Green Veterinary Nurse Training on day release from practice to obtain her VN qualification in 2018 and she has worked exclusively for independent practices since. Her degree has helped her with the rewarding role of clinical coach which involves teaching our trainee veterinary nurses during their time in practice.

Emma’s clinical interests include emergency, critical and intensive care as well as anaesthesia and pain management.

In her leisure time, Emma and her working cocker spaniel Brynn, enjoy exploring the countryside together. Emma is a very talented photographer and loves finding picturesque place to take photos of Brynn. As “Field and Flock Photography” she photographs dogs, horses and field sports taking some beautiful pictures. She also enjoys horse riding when she get the chance.

Laura joined the practice in November 2019 after completing a level 3 in animal management. She studies at Bottle Green training and qualified in 2023.

Laura lives in Belper with her family. She has 2 dogs, a Border Terrier ‘Cinders’ and a Cockapoo ‘Nutmeg’ as well as 2 Guinea Pigs ‘Obi’ and ‘Arwen’.  When shes not working, Laura spends time studying or socialising with friends, going on walks with her dogs and visiting the cinema.

We are very proud of Amber. She started with us as a trainee veterinary nurse, enrolled at Hartpury college in 2018 and in 2021 she registered as a qualified Veterinary Nurse (VN) after obtaining her degree. Knowing what a fabulous nurse she has become, through her continued hard work and effort, we have quickly snapped her up before she could get chance to make it out onto the job market and she has now joined our team of qualified VNs.

Amber has enjoyed all of her training but she is particularly interested in patient care and anaesthesia, two areas of nursing that are SO important. Now she has joined the team full time she is also taking on the role of Hill’s Nutritional Ambassador within the practice and as such is continuing her learning, this time specifically and in more depth about nutrition. It is really important to us at Derwent Valley that we all continue to learn – even those members of the team who are going a little grey around the edges do additional training each year.
As one of her graduation presents, Amber has just taken on her own puppy “Goose” who is a working cocker spaniel. Goose joins Amber’s other pets, “Merry” and “Pippin”, her guinea pigs, and we hope the whole family settles well in Matlock and enjoy the beautiful Peak District as much as we do.

Clare joined Derwent Valley Vets in August 2018. She qualified as a Veterinary nurse in 1994 and is the oldest member of the team (although she would like it to be known she still has all of her own teeth!). She has previously worked in a number of mixed and small animal practices. She was with her last small animal practice in Hertfordshire for over 12 years.

Clare has loved holidaying in the Peak District for years and finally took the plunge in 2018 and moved to Matlock where she can make the most of her love of walking and the local wildlife. She is a member of the RSPB, the Woodland Trust and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, with whom she does volunteer work once a month.

Clare comes to Derwent Valley with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Her input has been important in helping to get the laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery started at the practice. Her previous practice was already using this type of equipment and she is knowledgeable on how to care for such an expensive and fragile bit of kit. Clare is our feline advocate for the ISFM cat friendly program and hopes to take on an older cat once she has settled in.

Nicky has been working in veterinary practices since 1998 and became a qualified Veterinary Nurse in 2000. Not one to rest on her laurels she continued to study and in 2010 obtained her Graduate Diploma in Professional and Clinical Veterinary Nursing from the Royal Veterinary College. She has had a variety of jobs before joining Derwent Valley in 2017 including working in general practice, working for an out of hours provider and working for a veterinary laboratory company. She has used her nursing skills to do charitable work including a stint in a neutering clinic in St Lucia.

Nicky lives locally in the Matlock area with her partner and her three sons. When she is not at work she is always on the go and is constantly running one of the boys to an activity or class. The whole family enjoys time out in the Peak District with their crossbreed dog “Lucy” who is advancing in age but still loves a good walk.

Nicky has a particular interest in feline medicine and is looking to set up an advice clinic for our older cat patients when she is back from maternity leave. She retains an interest in emergency and critical care from her previous job and is always a calm head in a crisis.