Meet the Bowland Vets Team
Our Vets
Dr Sian Smith
BVetMed PGCert SAOphthal MRCVS
From the age of three I always knew I wanted to be a vet, and in 2004 I moved from my home city Liverpool to study Veterinary Medicine at The Royal Veterinary College, London. Following my graduation I relocated to The Ribble Valley in 2009 and although I may not have mastered the Lancashire accent yet, I am very proud to call this beautiful area my home. I enjoy all aspects of small animal medicine and surgery but have a special interest in ophthalmology after gaining my post graduate certificate in 2020.
At home my husband and I are kept on our toes with our three young children, Ember the Labrador, plus the cats Alice and Murphy!
Dr Claire Batty
BVSc BSc CertAVP MRCVS
I graduated from Liverpool University in 2005. Following a three-year jaunt in Cheshire doing mixed practice I decided to return back home to the Ribble Valley to join a large mixed practice in the area. I worked through the team and eventually became director of the practice. I quickly moved over to the Small Animal side of the practice and achieved a certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in Surgery. I enjoy all aspects of Veterinary Medicine and believe that client care is key to a successful practice. Aspects of the role I particularly enjoy is surgery of any description especially orthopaedics.
In my spare time I can be found running around after the family and various animals. I have two horses which keep me busy and enjoy walking in the local countryside.
Dr Claire Donaldson-Weaver
BVSc MRCVS
After graduating from Liverpool University in 2018 I have worked in a Small Animal Veterinary practice, with my particular interests being skin disease and management of osteoarthritis in elderly patients. Although I do like surgery my passion is consulting,as I love meeting new pets and their owners.
In my spare time I enjoy walking my Border Collie Tig, spending time with my young daughter and catching up with friends.
I look forward to working with Claire and Sian and maybe learning a thing or two from them along the way!
Our Nurses
Debbie Walker
RVN
I have worked in the veterinary industry since 2016 where
I joined a team in Chorley as a receptionist. I went on to become a student veterinary nurse as I had such a passion for
wanting to help and look after small animals. I qualified in 2021.
I have a keen interest in nurse clinics as I love to meet new
patients and clients. My passion is to offer guidance with
nutritional support for all life stages and guidance with weight
management.
Although I can’t resist a new puppy or kitten (who can?) I
especially love seeing and helping older patients in their later
years.
At home I have Cassie my Cockerpoo and 2 cats Felicity and Skittles. They are little
monkey’s but they make me smile everyday.
Nicole Harvey
RVN
I’ve worked in the veterinary industry for 6 years and officially qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse with a BSc Honours degree in 2022. I enjoy working in all areas of practice from seeing your pets in consultations for vaccinations and nail clips, to monitoring them whilst they are having surgery under a general anaesthetic.
Outside of work I spend my spare time walking my rescue dog Stanley the pug and Labrador Betsy, plus competing with my horse. I look forward to meeting all the new faces that come through our door at Bowland vets and giving you a warm welcome to our practice!
Becky Lingard
RVN
Mandy Pilkington
RVN
I have a grade 3 diploma in Veterinary nursing and seventeen years experience in Veterinary practice.
Previously I have worked in a large animal mixed practice as a head nurse, performing clinical and surgical nursing as well as training student nurses before taking a career break to bring up my three children.
I returned to practice in 2022 and I am thrilled to be back!
I am looking forward to meeting you and your pets, and providing them with the ✴️✴️✴️✴️✴️ service they deserve .
In my spare time I compete at British show jumping competitions with my two horses, and help my husband on our farm in Gisburn
Our Student Nurses
Caitlin
SVN
Mairi
SVN
Our Animal Care Assistants
Sarah
Level 2 Animal care and welfare assistant
Hi, I’m Sarah. I have a passion for animals and have worked with them for many years. I am hoping to become further qualified in the veterinary field. I look forward to meeting you and your pets!
At home, I have a newly adopted cat and a Lhasa Apso named Teddy who is co-shared with my Parents! In my spare time I enjoy yoga, walking and reading.
Lexi
Kennel Assitant
Our Client Care Advisors
Catherine
With over 20 years customer service experience my transition in to the Veterinary industry happened when my previous employer retired. This lead to me to seeking and exciting and fulfilling opportunity in the field of Veterinary care. Beyond my professional life I have a passion for rescue cats.
I live with my husband and two cats, or should I say we live with them…. Jasmine an all black cat that nobody wanted due to her colour, and Buster who we found living feral at Castle Cement.
When I’m not assisting our customers or helping furry friends in need, you can often find me cycling through the local countryside or working up a sweat in the gym.
I am very proud to be a part of our dedicated team here at Bowland Vets and shall look forward to welcoming you through our doors.
Isabelle
Grace
I am currently studying A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology and looking to hopefully achieve a place at university to study Veterinary Medicine. I have grown up on a family farm so I’m used to handling lots of different animals and have a passion for their care and welfare.
I am looking forward to welcoming you to our practice and having lots of cuddles with your pets.
Sophie
From as young as I can remember I have loved the great outdoors and exploring with our family dogs in the beautiful Ribble Valley.
Eager to explore more of the world, I studied Travel Management. I have been lucky enough to work with Husky’s and Reindeer in Lapland, and travel to some amazing places. Then Covid hit and travel came to a standstill. I took this opportunity to start a new chapter and never looked back.
My husband and I share our home with our little cat Jess and rescue border collie Tara. Most of my time is spent with Tara exploring the gorgeous county side.
Zoe
Since graduating from university I have gained over 12 years experience providing customer service in a variety of settings which I thoroughly enjoy. I have always loved all animals, and growing up lived with a variety of pets. I also have a passion for wild hedgehogs and over the last six years I have had regular nightly visitors to my garden and try to educate and promote their welfare wherever possible. In my spare time I enjoy travelling and spending time with my husband, our 9 year old Newfoundland George and little rescue cat Sabrina.
