About Us | Staff

Head Office

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  Dr Lucy Rogers – Chief Executive

  Lucy has a background in conservation science and conservation delivery. With a PhD in small mammal ecology from the University of Aberdeen, she worked for a number of years with FERA (now the Animal and Plant Health Agency) at Woodchester Park managing projects on badger ecology and TB epidemiology.  Prior to joining the VWT, she was Director of Delivery Programmes for Avon Wildlife Trust, leading the strategic planning, development and delivery of their conservation and community engagement work. Lucy was appointed as Chief Executive for the Trust in 2018. Office: Ledbury.

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  Hilary Macmillan – Head of Communications

  Hilary has worked for the Trust since 2000, for much of that time leading the Communications Team. She has a background in teaching and taught Geography at the start of her career. Prior to joining VWT, she worked in the conservation education sector as Head of Education with Kent Wildlife Trust and later as an environmental education consultant. She has a Masters degree in Nature and Travel Writing and has written for a range of publications, including BBC Wildlife magazine. Until recently, Hilary combined her role at VWT with teaching young people with specific learning difficulties.

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  Tim Bennett – Finance Manager

  Tim joined the Trust in 2019 as Finance Officer. He has a background in both the charity sector, having previously worked for Mind Aberystwyth as its Business and Finance Officer, and in the private sector more recently with Balfour Beatty. Through both roles, Tim has a number of years of people management experience. He has a degree in Zoology and has completed his advanced diploma in accounting through the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians). Tim moved into the role as Finance Manager in 2020 and also took on the the duties of Company Secretary. Office: Ledbury.

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  Jane Abel – Business and Administration Officer

  Jane joined the Trust in 2020 as Business and Administration Officer.  She has a background in finance and administration, and has worked for a variety of organisations, including the NHS. Jane also has experience of working within the charity sector and within the retail sector. She is a fellow member of the Association of Accounting Technicians. Office: Ledbury.

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  Julia Bracewell – Senior Design and Communications Officer

  Julia joined the Trust in 2018 as Design and Communications Officer and then moved into the role of Senior Design and Communications Officer in 2020. She has a background in conservation education and in the production of publications. Julia’s past career has included working for Kent Wildlife Trust as Education Officer where she helped develop the education programme, before taking on the role of Publications Officer and producing a range of education and marketing materials. Julia has also worked for Christian Aid as a writer and editor and, more recently, she worked for a small environmental and development charity based on an organic dairy farm. Julia is a qualified graphic designer, has a degree in Botany, an MSc in Creative (non-fiction) Science Writing and is a qualified science and primary school teacher. Office: Ledbury.

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  Laura Lawrance-Owen – Volunteering and Community Engagement Officer

  Laura joined the Trust in 2020 as Volunteering and Community Engagement Officer. After completing a Zoology degree at the University of Liverpool she joined the RSPB as a warden intern to gain experience of conservation work in the UK. This led to other volunteer roles and employment in the sector, including a year with Chester Zoo, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and rECOrd on a biodiversity traineeship. Working as a volunteer and with volunteers has been a core part of Laura's experience. She joined VWT after working as a Ranger for six years with the National Trust. Office: Ledbury.

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  Helen Henderson – Operations Manager

  Helen joined the Trust in 2018 as Business and Administration Officer, and then moved into the role of Operations Manager in 2019. She has a background in administration from, most recently, Active Training and Education (ATE), a non-profit organisation aimed at promoting learning through play for children, but also previously in the education and retailing sectors. She has a degree in Geography and an HNC in Horticulture, and has previously worked in technology marketing, as well as a professional gardener. Office: Ledbury.

UK Conservation Team

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  Dr Henry Schofield – Head of Conservation

  Henry has worked for the Trust since 1990. After studying for a PhD in the ecology and conservation biology of lesser horseshoe bats, he set up the Trust's first bat reserves for this species. This was followed by further projects on rare tree bats. His role is to have an overview of the Trust's conservation and research projects and to develop and oversee the Trust’s conservation policy. Henry has a long-term interest in bats but enjoys working on all mammals. He is a keen amateur photographer and a trustee of BatLife Europe. Office: Presteigne.

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  Dr Steve Carter – Carnivore Programme Manager

  Steve is a zoologist with a background in research on a number of mammal species, including water voles and badgers, and with a particular interest in the smaller carnivores. He has a PhD, from Royal Holloway University of London, on the impacts of introduced predators and their management for conservation. Steve joined the Trust in 2016 to develop the Trust's carnivore conservation and research programme. Prior to joining the Trust, Steve worked for many years as a wildlife biologist with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, managing projects on the development and deployment of TB vaccines for badgers. Office: Amberley, Gloucestershire.

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  Dr Anita Glover – Bat Programme Manager

  Anita is a zoologist with a background in bat research. She has a PhD, from the University of Leeds, in the ecology and conservation of cave-roosting bats. Anita joined the Trust in 2016 as the Bat Programme Manager to develop the Trust’s programme of bat conservation and research. Prior to joining VWT, Anita worked at the University of Leeds on a range of knowledge exchange and impact projects, from habitat suitability modelling for bats and wading birds, to biosecurity and invasive non-native species. Office: Powick.

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  Dr Jenny MacPherson – Science and Research Programme Manager

  Jenny is a zoologist with a background in research on a range of mammal species, including pine marten, dormice, red squirrel, water vole and mink. She gained an MSc in conservation at University College London and then went on to a PhD at Royal Holloway. She joined the Trust in 2011 as project officer on the Mammals in a Sustainable Environment (MISE) project, working with volunteers and local communities on surveys and conservation of a range of mammal species in west Wales. In 2014, Jenny became the Trust’s Pine Marten Project Manager, managing the Pine Marten Recovery Project for England and Wales and the reinforcement of pine martens in Wales. She subsequently became Science and Research Manager in 2018. Office: Maesllyn, Ceredigion.

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  Lizzie Croose – Senior Carnivore Conservation Officer

  Lizzie joined the Trust in 2008 after gaining a degree in Environmental Management and Sustainability, and subsequently completed an MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health at the University of Edinburgh. In 2017, she took a sabbatical and worked in the US on the Michigan Predator-Prey Project: a predator-prey dynamics study. Lizzie’s role involves research and conservation efforts on the Trust’s mustelid species programmes, as well as organising the European Mustelid Colloquium. Lizzie is also part of the Martes Working Group communications team and a member of the IUCN Small Carnivore Specialist Group. Office: Ledbury.

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  Dr Patrick Wright – Senior Science and Research Officer

  Patrick joined the Trust in 2020 as Senior Science and Research Officer. His PhD, which he completed at the University of Exeter in January 2018, was funded by Vincent Wildlife Trust and focused on the conservation of Bechstein’s bats in Britain. By using a combination of landscape and molecular approaches, he assessed the genetic diversity and structure of the British population of Bechstein’s bats, and developed a molecular assay to estimate the age of individual bats. Since the end of his PhD, he has worked at the University of Sussex on a range of projects, such as developing monitoring techniques for woodland bats and identifying hedgehog roadkill hotspots. Office: Ledbury.

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  Kevin O'Hara – Pine Marten Project Officer (Back from the Brink)

  Kevin is an ecologist with a background in mammal conservation, principally otters and water voles, and he has a particular interest in the smaller carnivores. He has worked on a number of projects involving these species, working with volunteers and local communities in the north east of England to foster lasting legacies. Within his previous role at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, he steered the very first reintroduction of water voles to the region. In 2017, Kevin became project officer within the Back from the Brink programme, which aims to pave the way for the recovery of the pine marten in northern England. Office: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.

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  Marina Bollo Palacios – Bat Conservation Officer

  Marina joined the Trust in 2018 as Bat Conservation Officer. She is a biologist with a background in conservation research, mainly related to birds. She has been involved in conservation projects within various taxa in Britain, Portugal, Peru and Spain. She gained an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology in 2014. She joined Vincent Wildlife Trust after working as a research assistant for the University of Sevilla, Spain, where she studied breeding success, migration and malaria prevalence in barn swallows. Office: Ledbury.

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  Tom Kitching – Bat Conservation Officer

  Tom joined the Trust in 2018 as Bat Conservation Officer. Having previously worked with a variety of terrestrial mammals, Tom first started working with bats during his time at the University of Leeds. Here he attained a first-class MRes degree, which involved a research project modelling the distributions of Mexican bats in the Baja California peninsula. Since then, he has worked as a bat researcher in Africa and led bat survey expeditions in eastern Europe. Tom also has a strong background in working with volunteers at various international wildlife NGOs. Office: Ledbury.

Ireland Conservation Team

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  Dr Kate McAney – Head of Conservation Development, Ireland

  Kate has worked for the Trust in Ireland since 1991. She manages 13 lesser horseshoe bat reserves located along the west coast, from Mayo in the north to Kerry in the south. Since 2010, she has run pilot studies on the Irish stoat in County Galway. She promotes mammal conservation and research through lectures, bat walks and publications. Kate completed her PhD on the summer activity of the lesser horseshoe bat at University College Galway. She has a particular interest in the diet of insectivorous bats; her most recent study was on Bechstein’s bat. Kate was a founder member of the Galway Bat Group and is a committee member of Bat Conservation Ireland. Office: Headford, County Galway.

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  Ruth Hanniffy – Species Conservation Officer, Ireland

  Ruth studied Zoology at the National University of Ireland Galway, undertaking a dietary analysis of the lesser horseshoe bats at Dromore Stables in County Clare. She then completed a Masters in Wildlife Management and Conservation at the University of Reading, carrying out analysis of the density and habitat preference of small mammals on Paxton Pits Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire. Following this, she joined the Environment Agency for eight years as a Biodiversity Officer working on river enhancement and restoration on the River Thames and its Tributaries. Upon returning to Ireland, Ruth worked with Inland Fisheries Ireland as a fisheries assistant carrying out National Water Framework Directive fish surveys of lakes and rivers throughout Ireland. Ruth is a wildlife, landscape and conservation photographer. Office: Oranmore, County Galway.