Claire studied at the Royal Veterinary College in London, qualifying in 2001. She initially worked in mixed practice near London before moving up to the Peak District in 2004 to help her Veterinary Surgeon husband Steven with the setup of his small animal practice in Sheffield, which opened in 2005. Until the opening of Derwent Valley in 2016 Claire worked for the emergency/out of hours veterinary service VetsNow. She is still currently involved and kept up to date with Emergency and Critical Care as she has been invited to be an assessor and moderator for the Veterinary Nurse Certificate in the subject. It was while Claire was working as Head Vet for VetsNow in Nottingham that she met Rebecka as the pair were working for different veterinary care providers working out of the same building.

Claire lives with her husband and two children in a beautiful Grade 2 listed house on the edge of the Peak Park. They must like a challenge as when they bought their house it had no stairs and only some of the floors! Luckily some of their building skills gained whilst converting the Boat House into Derwent Valley Vets have come in handy and as well as stairs and floors, they now even have a bathroom and kitchen. There is still a lot to do but it will be a beautiful place when it is finished and most importantly for Claire it has space to keep her ever growing “string” of horses and ponies. For some girls it’s shoes, for Claire its horses! She also has quite a good collection of cats and dogs.

Claire obtained her Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in 2018 studying at night whilst doing her day job and still retains a keen interest in anaesthesia and pain management. She added to her post graduate certificate in 2025 with more study, this time in the field of Veterinary Dentistry. She has been the driving force behind investing in the laparoscopic (keyhole) kit and always has her eye on the next big development in the veterinary world.

Lisa joined the practice in 2017 having previously worked for VetsNow where she was first Head Vet at Alfreton and then the District Vet covering a number of branches. She came to Derwent Valley Vets with a wealth of knowledge having been in practice for over 20 years, graduating from Glasgow University in 1998.

Lisa has settled “down south” in Matlock and lives locally with her husband and three daughters. She has Peggy, the crossbreed and two cats, Honey and Spice. She spends her leisure time either out in the garden or scoping out the local live music events with her husband who plays in a band.

Lisa is currently studying for her Certificate in Advance Veterinary Practice. She is on the ball with recent developments in the veterinary world and like all our vets she believes “you should never stop learning in this profession as things are continually changing or improving.” Her primary interest remains emergency and critical care and she is the font of all knowledge on anything to do with poisonings and toxicology.

Ellie studied at the Royal Veterinary College in London, qualifying in 2005. She has previously worked in small animal practices in Sutton in Ashfield and Alfreton before joining us at Derwent Valley in 2018. Initially Ellie worked from Derwent Valley as “The guinea pig vet,” a business she set up to serve the strong following of guinea pig owners who recognise her vast experience with this species. Her interest in guinea pigs started when she had three guinea pigs Daisy, Rosie and Elvis as a vet student and has grown over the years to the point where there is not much about guinea pigs that Ellie doesn’t know.

In 2019 Ellie decided she would like to become a more permanent member of staff. We were delighted to have her join us. Even though she has a special interest in guinea pigs her 19 years in general practice has given her a wealth of experience with all small animal species. She is an accomplished surgeon and is interested in anaesthesia and pain relief in all species. Her relaxed friendly approach means she fits in really well with the rest of the team.

Ellie lives with her partner and young son in Wirksworth. She is very practical and her hobbies include DIY and making furniture. Her latest project involves setting up a new tropical fish tank.

https://www.theguineapigvet.co.uk/