Office Staff

Lorraine Davis – Practice Administrator

I have worked for Woodlands since March 1999 having started as a receptionist, moving onto nursing and currently as a Practice Administrator. I have most recently gained a Diploma in Management after taking my ILM level 5 Diploma through UMD Professional. I am hoping to go on and achieve the VPMA’s Management Certificate also.

I have always been involved with animals since learning to ride at the age of 4 and qualifying as a riding instructor in 1994. I then went on to start my nursing training in 1997 but never got the chance to complete my training due to relocating.

I now live with my Partner of 14 years, who is a Professional Wildlife Artist and experienced Falconer. We have an ever increasing collection of animals, from a Cat and and 2 Dogs to Falcons, Owls and Hawks, most of which are worked and hunted and others that come to us via Veterinary Practices and the RSPCA as casualties in the hope of rehabilitation. Some of our birds are also used in Education, Instruction & Falconry Courses that my partner teaches. As well as the larger birds, we also take in and hand rear dozens of garden birds & other wildlife, each year ranging from Swifts to Hares and pride ourselves in a good success rate. The most recent addition to our tribe is our hand reared Fallow Deer called “Hazel”. On the rare occasion I have some spare time I enjoy making jewelry and still like to ride as often as I can.

Hayley Evans – Practice Administrator

I have worked at the hospital branch for nine enjoyable years. I am a practice administrator and part-time receptionist. I am married and we have a dog called Owen. I enjoy walking, cooking, reading and music.

Tracie Lochran – Head Receptionist Plymouth

I am the Head receptionist at the Hospital in Plymouth. I have worked here since 2002 starting as a part time receptionist working 15 hours per week. I qualified as a riding instructor in my early twenties and at one stage owned 3 horses and taught 7 days a week which certainly kept me busy. I no longer own a horse but still ride on a regular basis. Now my Border Collie “Maddy” keeps me busy requiring lengthy walks daily. This combines my other interest of walking preferably in the mountains of North Wales, the lakes and Scotland. She is certainly a well traveled dog!

Kelly Colwell – Receptionist

I am one of the team of receptionists at the hospital branch. I am the newest member of the team having joined in February 2006. I spend most of my spare time running around after my children and doing the usual ‘mummy’ stuff, like cleaning out the hamster house!

Jo Clarke - Receptionist

Jane Chatfield – Head Receptionist/Administrator

I oversee the team of five receptionists at Ivybridge and I also do the practice admin there. I have been at Woodlands since July 2001. In that time I have managed to build up my own menagerie of pets which, at present, consists of three dogs, four cats, a parrot and a tortoise.

I have lived in Ivybridge for twenty years and have been married to Kevin for twenty five years. We have three children – Tim 23, Sophie 21, and Joey 18. I don’t have time for any outside interests as I am always at work! Woodlands is a great place to work because we are such a great team but I particularly enjoy the interaction with our clients and their pets. It’s like one big happy family!

Tina Tomlin – Receptionist

I am a part-time receptionist at Ivybridge and have been working here for three years. I moved back to Devon after thirty five years of living in Bedfordshire. I enjoy the day to day contact with the animals and owners alike and find my job very satisfying. It is made even more special by working alongside lovely colleagues and friends. However, the job does have a downside as it would be very easy to increase the family dramatically with the four legged variety! I took on an unwanted cat and would love but she is very antisocial with other animals.

I previously worked for fifteen years at a dental surgery in Hertfordshire and for the last eight years there I was the practice manager. I was born and bred in South Brent and felt it was time to return to my roots. We have settled in Ivybridge and my youngest son and his wife live just down the road but my older son remains in Bedfordshire with his wife and baby son.

Linda Whitaker – Receptionist

I only started working at Woodlands in Ivybridge in May 2007 as a part-time receptionist. Previously, I have done various jobs ranging from medical secretary to kennel assistant!
I love to spend my free time walking, reading and watching Sky TV. I have two teenage boys (both of whom are now taller than me!), a chocolate Labrador, Fudge, a Border terrier, Nellie, a ginger cat, Pixie, and Cookie the very noisy cockatiel! My youngest son Luke has Hazel the hamster and my eldest son Steve has Boggle and Squeak the goldfish!

Di Bruty – Receptionist

I have worked at Woodlands since August 2008; however, I call myself a recycled receptionist having worked here previously for 1 year in 2005. I am a Plymouth girl and have been married for 31 years I have 2 grown up sons Tom & Sam.

I love animals and as such own Louis my Golden Retriever, Rosie my Black Labrador and Jerry my gigantic Maine Coon cat. Previously I spent 14 years working for Laura Ashley and before returning to Woodlands spent 1 year working for an interior design company in Cornwall. My Hobby is interior design, therefore I am always changing/updating things at home; I also love cooking and entertaining friends and family.

Anna Warrington – Receptionist
A year and 9 months ago I visited Dartmouth for my 40th birthday weekend, having never been to Devon before. 12 months later I had sold my house, quit my job and bought a house in Dartmouth and skippering a boat on the River Dart.

After a great experience I saw an advertisement for the receptionist at the Ivybridge branch and jumped at the chance to work in a dream environment with animals, back on dry land and working as a receptionist again.

I have 2 cats and my hobbies are running, singing and discovering how gorgeous Devon is.

Caroline Sage – Receptionist

I have been working as a receptionist at Woodlands since December 2008. I really enjoy the job as it is a complete change for me as I have always worked with young children either as a nanny or in pre-school.

I live in Plymouth with my 3 grown up children and my Border Terrier “Toby”. In my spare time I enjoy cycling with the local CTC group (Cycling Touring Club). I also enjoy making things with stained glass and have been doing evening classes for the last 3 years.

Ellie Kismett – Receptionist

I grew up in Cheshire and moved back to my home town of London as a teenager, where I had a variety jobs. I spent 9 years at Scotland Yard as a Scene of Crime Officer, managed pet shops and worked at Battersea Dogs Home where I rehomed amongst others all the “Golden Oldies” which I have a huge soft spot for as they are often overlooked in rescue centres.

In 1999 I went to Crete to volunteer in an animal sanctuary and stayed for over 2 years. I then went to Phucket, Thailand and volunteered in a Gibbon rehabilitation project for several months. I would one day love to see the orangutans in Borneo and the mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

After living in such beautiful remote villages abroad returning to London did not seem so appealing so I re-located to Devon, joining Woodlands in March 2009.

At home I can often be found with my head in a book mostly enjoying travel writing and biographies. I live with my partner Mark an engineer and we own a rescue Lurcher called Archie, who has won several “most handsome male” competitions (Archie that is!), including going to London in 2007 to be a scruffs finalist. Archie has now retired from show biz and the 3 of us enjoy coastal walks, pub lunches and camping around the South West whenever we can, the North Devon coast being our favorite.