Meet the dedicated team at
The Lane Family Pet Centre in Wigan

Luc Van Dijck
DVM RCVS, Principle
Luc graduated from the State University of Ghent, Belgium in 1991. In 1996, he became the owner of the practice where he had been working at when his predecessor and friend Bill McNish retired.
Luc takes a special interest in small animal soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery. He also dedicates a lot of his time to studying and applying endoscopic (keyhole) diagnostic and surgical techniques.
At home, Luc has two dogs: a Parson’s Jack Russell terrier called Elsie and a black and tan Lurcher named Digby. Elsie was born deaf and was adopted by Luc at 5 weeks of age before being trained to respond to some basic ‘canine sign language.’ The two dogs also share their home with a ginger tomcat named Pilgrim, sometimes known as ‘the ginger ninja.’
Outside of work, Luc enjoys gardening, woodwork and - when he has the time - walking in the country with his dogs.

Hillary Swift
Head Veterinary Nurse
Hilary is our longest-standing valued member of staff. She joined us originally as a Saturday helper in 1977. From there, she soon worked her way up the ladder to become Head Nurse. Hilary has completed various courses over the years and is known as our book of knowledge for surgery. She enjoys all aspects of her job, particularly orthopaedics and physiotherapy. She also has a keen interest in alternative medicines, especially homeopathic remedies and Lintbells’ products, which are a source of natural supplements and essential oils.
At home, Hilary has two working ferrets as well as three Springer Spaniels named Reece, Bryn and Skye that require a lot of exercise and training.
In Hilary’s spare time - when she is not working and on-call - she and her dad have a lovely busy garden to maintain with a beautiful array of flowers and vegetables.

Pauline Garside
Veterinary Nurse
Pauline joined the surgery in 2001 as a receptionist, but it wasn’t long until we realised the potential in Pauline and she has made the transition to veterinary nurse very easily.
Pauline has completed various courses with Lintbells on various aspects of animal health and well-being - she’s always happy to answer any questions our patients have.
At work, Pauline particularly enjoys assisting laparoscopic (keyhole) procedures. She also has a keen interest in animal behaviour and nutritional topics.
At home, Pauline lives with her husband. They also have 2 Springer Spaniels named Deb and Breeze. Her favourite hobby is walking and training her dogs. They have a caravan in the Lakes where they enjoy weekends away with the dogs.

Shirley Short
Part-Time Receptionist
Shirley has been a valued member of our team for some years now. She enjoys all aspects of her role and takes a keen interest in the operations and procedures that take place in our treatment rooms and theatre.
At home, Shirley has two rescue Greyhounds called Bernard and Frank, a Lurcher called Potty Dottie and a cat named Mollie. She also has Kevin the cat, who recently decided to join Shirley and her family as a squatter.
Shirley is a keen animal lover and couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather do than work with animals on a regular basis.
