Jane joined Derwent Valley in 2022 with no previous experience as a veterinary receptionist but a lot of experience in LIFE! She has had jobs that range from licensee to chef to working for a horse charity helping Dartmoor Hill Ponies.

Horses are one of her passions. As well as dealing with rescue ponies she has also had horses of her own and helped with the Four Shires Bloodhounds. Apparently, she is a whizz on a quad bike and is very used to dealing with more wilful horses even after a port or two. She has recently taken the sad decision to retire from riding as her family commitments are growing rapidly and requiring more of her time and energy. She and her husband have 6 children and 17 grandchildren between them! Her home is often busy with people, a lot of them quite tiny. She is relishing the role of grandparent and when not entertaining the grandchildren at home can sometimes be found going camping with them. Proper camping…under canvas….this lady is hard core!

Jane loves her job as part of the DVV team and has taken to it like a duck to water. She enjoys caring for both our two legged and four legged clients at the front desk and is a great advocate of the health plan since she has sat down and worked out how it gives such great value for money for herself. Jane has worked hard at getting up to speed with the veterinary specific aspects of the role and has completed her bronze BVRA award and is now working towards her silver.

When not at work, Jane can be found walking her two dogs Winnie and Eddie or heading out to eat. She is a great fan of a carvery and loves a Sunday where she can have a roast dinner that someone else has cooked especially if it comes with a drink and a few giggles.

Sophie initially joined the team as a volunteer, wanting to get work experience in a veterinary practice. She decided she liked it here and gets on really well with all the team so we were very pleased when she accepted a job as an animal care assistant in 2021. Her long-term plan is to work her way up to enrolling as a student veterinary nurse in a few years time. Currently she is studying hard to get the qualifications needed to start the course.

Sophie is a mother to three boys and lives on a farm with her husband Andrew. She loves showing her sons, Callum, Rupert and Logan how to look after the various cows, pigs and sheep on the farm. She enjoys farming so much she has applied for her own holding number and she has her own flock of sheep. She will often be found down the fields looking after them and enjoying their company. As well as the larger farm animals she also has a very cute crossbreed dog called “Bella” and two cats “Wilson” and “Buddy” at home. She has always enjoyed being with animals and says they “bring her a lot of happiness”.

When Sophie is not looking after her boys or her pets she likes to have lunch out with friends and is particularly partial to a good cocktail.

Meg initially came to us as a receptionist in 2020. Her aim was to become a student veterinary nurse and very quickly we could see her potential so when a vacancy arose, we shifted her sideways into a trainee nurse position. She starts her training course with Bottle Green Training in the spring of 2021 and we know she will do well.

Meg grew up on a family farm and has a lot of experience with all sorts of animals. She has numerous qualifications including a BSc in Equine Science with a Level 3 in Stable Management, Level 2 in Horse Care and BHS stages 1&2. All of these she puts to good use looking after ‘Mischief’ her welsh pony and she spends a lot of her spare time out riding. When Meg is not at work or playing with horses, she enjoys spending time walking her Jack Russel ‘Lottie’ or climbing.

Meg has fitted into the team brilliantly. She always has a smile and nothing is too much trouble for her. We have no doubt that with her enthusiasm and natural ability she will make a fabulous veterinary nurse and be a credit to the profession.

Laura joined the practice in September 2017 and has been a friendly face on the front desk ever since. She had previously already worked in the service industry having been a travel agent in an earlier job and her NVQ in travel still comes in useful when booking all of her exciting trips away.

Laura lives in Darley Dale with her husband and two children. Last year they took on a new puppy “Larry” the Labrador, who attended our puppy classes. Larry has grown up to be a very relaxed and friendly dog – we think it must run in the family! When Laura is not at work, she enjoys keeping fit and is a keen runner and cyclist. She loves to be outdoors and can often be seen walking Larry around the Matlock area.

Laura is brilliant on the front desk. She loves “meeting and greeting” the clients, especially those of the furry variety! She is a whizz on the computers and is the font of all knowledge; if she doesn’t know something, she will definitely know someone who does!

Claire joined Derwent Valley in 2021 with previous experience as a veterinary receptionist. She has a level of energy that cannot be matched and she truly is a “people person”. She has fitted in well with the existing team and is always ready to tackle a task head on and with enthusiasm.

As well a previously working in the veterinary environment, Claire has plenty of experience with all kinds of animals. She has worked in a pet shop and her current pet list includes “Rocky”, her horse, “Fool”, her sheep, and “Ronnie and Reggie”, her spaniels, with whom she does gundog training to keep them fit and active.
Claire likes to talk – she says herself “too much!”, however we think she is being a little hard on herself. We love the fact that she always has something to say, that she is friendly on the front desk and that when something amuses her, her laugh can be heard in Bakewell!
When Claire is not at work, she takes her dogs out on long adventures in the Peak District, she goes horse riding when she gets and chance, and much to her partner Tom’s delight, she has recently started to learn how to shoot. I think the clays may be safe for a bit yet, not so sure about Tom!