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Leaping forward for reptiles and amphibians

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You are here: Home / About Us / Staff

Staff


Senior Management Team


Kathy Wormald, Chief Executive Officer


Kathy joined Froglife in 2007, after nearly 20 years in the NGO sector. She has a background in accountancy and management and her broad range of experience includes poverty relief, human rights, environment and conservation; Kathy has been a trustee for the Pesticides Action Network Europe, the Women’s Environment Network and the Bhopal Medical Appeal.

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With ideas of being a journalist like Kate Adie when she was younger, Kathy now says that she is in her dream job working with the ‘can do’ attitude of Froglife staff and actively contributing something positive through our conservation work. Born in South Africa, Kathy’s first experience with frogs was also the first time she saw rain – the downpour brought out hundreds of happy frogs who’d been in hiding during the dry weather. Her favourite reptiles are lizards.

kathy.wormald@froglife.org


Jenny Tse-Leon, Head of Conservation & Impact

Jenny joined Froglife in 2014 and works as the Head of Conservation & Impact. She is responsible for our reserves, citizen science projects (such as Toads on Roads and Garden Wildlife Health), the work we do to evaluate the impact of our projects and representing Froglife on policy matters at a Westminster level. She also leads Froglife’s Communications. Her expertise is in engaging people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with nature conservation.

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Jenny has an MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College and worked on projects in the Russian steppe and Bornean rainforest before settling into UK conservation. Prior to Froglife she worked in community development, engaging local communities with nature as a means to improving health, well-being and community cohesion. Projects included increasing access of BME communities to the newly formed South Downs National Park, creating a vibrant community garden and delivering activities for health and well-being in open spaces.

She feels that engaging people from all walks of life, especially those that wouldn’t normally take part, is critical for conservation in the long-term.

Jenny.tse-leon@froglife.org 


Sheila Gundry, Head of Operations

Sheila joined Froglife in September 2017 as Development Manager for Education, Learning and Communications and in 2021 took over as Head of Operations.

Reporting to the CEO she oversees Froglife’s projects and manages the majority of the staff across the organisation.

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Sheila is a specialist in environmental education – she loves finding creative ways of teaching and learning about the environment. She has extensive experience of managing major projects and developing new ones.

She is a qualified secondary school teacher and is particularly interested in active, hands on learning techniques. Outside work she is often to be found exploring wild places and having adventures in the natural world.

sheila.gundry@froglife.org 


Andrew Smart, Head of Science & Research

Andrew joined us in May 2023 after 25 years of working in Higher Education, teaching zoology and conservation. He worked on the conservation of loggerhead and green turtles in the Mediterranean in the 1980s and great crested newts and common toads on the Avon levels in the ‘90s.

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Over the last 10 years, he’s also been working with the University of Cardiff and Cornwall College Newquay on the Kinabatangan River and has carried out survey work on frogs and toads in the Borneo rainforest.

Moving to Cornwall has limited his work on great crested newts, but Andrew has carried on working on palmate newts and freshwater invasive species and has been involved in lizard surveys on the Cornwall Coast Path.

andrew.smart@froglife.org


Peterborough Team


Clare Middleton, Reserve Warden & Learning Officer

Clare joined Froglife in 2022 as the Learning Officer for the Green Pathways Project in Peterborough and was successful in getting the Reserve Warden and Transforming Lives Trainer role from July 2023. 

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Clare has turned her hand to many things with a range of experience from different sectors both in work and volunteering. Most relevant to her current roles being a Community Garden Manager and volunteering with conservation groups locally, coppicing and managing habitat. Also managing and training teams within the DWP. 

The best places to find Clare in her spare time are out and about nature spotting, in her garden growing veg or on the riverbank fishing.

clare.middleton@froglife.org 


Hannah Keeley, Project Manager

Hannah joined Froglife in June 2025 to project manage the delivery of Peterborough’s ‘Green Talent’ project.

She has a background in project management, community engagement, outdoor education, and volunteer management and development. Most recently, she managed Heritage Fund projects at Nene Park, including Moments with Trees and the development phase of Your Community Greenspace. 

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Hannah is also trained as a primary school teacher and holds a degree in psychology. She thrives on bringing people together, sharing knowledge, and encouraging others to get excited about and connect with nature.

Outside of work, Hannah enjoys exploring woodlands with her border collie, growing vegetables, and cooking healthy dishes with home-grown produce. She also loves attending live music events across a variety of genres.

Hannah enjoys meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, and travelling both within and outside the UK.

hannah.keeley@froglife.org


Jesse Ashman, Trainee

Jesse has a background in the LGBT+ sector including working for Stonewall, Gendered Intelligence and The Kite Trust.

He’s also previously worked as a Cycle Taxi Pilot for BikeWorks and as director of community engagement at The Outside Project – the UK’s first emergency homeless shelter for LGBTIQ+ people.

He also has a master’s degree in Sexual Dissidence and is a published author on topics relating to trans inclusion.

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Jesse moved to Peterborough after seeing a frog in the pond of his current house, he has never previously worked in conservation and has no qualifications in ecology, biology or conservation. However, he has a strong interest in ponds, wildlife and especially amphibians, bugs and snails.

After a successful 3-month placement on our Green Talent Project, he is now a fully-fledged Trainee and is hoping to learn even more about amphibians, reptiles and supporting his local area. Outside of work Jesse likes to cycle and has two cats called Stan and Ollie.

Jesse.Ashman@froglife.org


Andrew Wood, Trainee

Andrew joined Froglife as a volunteer in 2024 and became part of the Green Talent Project in Peterborough in September 2025. After a successful 3-month placement, he is now a fully-fledged Trainee. 

Andrew has grown up in London, lived in Singapore, enjoys travelling and also has a passion for wildlife photography.

Having worked with young children as a primary school teacher, Andrew has always brought nature and wildlife into the classroom. He has tried to inspire his classes to engage with and look after wildlife, and their local environment. Andrew hopes to do the same throughout the Peterborough area and bring his passion for wildlife and the outdoors to as many people as possible!

Andrew.Wood@froglife.org


London Team


Harry Forshaw, Project Manager 

Harry joined Froglife in February 2024 to project manage delivery of the London Blue Chain. His previous experience sits within community engagement and youth work, volunteer management, and project management. Most recently, Harry worked for an East London youth service called Spotlight, as their Empowerment Lead, where his role helped to create opportunities for young people and older community members across Tower Hamlets.

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Harry holds a life-long interest in nature and wildlife of all varieties, and he spends as much time as possible immersed in the natural world – both in urban and wilder spaces.

Outside of work, Harry enjoys running, cycling, birdwatching, collecting records and DJing.

harry.forshaw@froglife.org 


Kat Richards, Trainee

Kat joined Froglife as a trainee on the London Blue Chain project in July 2025.

With a background in community engagement and volunteer coordination, she brings a strong interest in social and environmental justice to her work.

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Having grown up in South-East London, she has experienced firsthand the value of accessible urban nature and is excited to be part of a project that connects local communities with green and blue spaces within the area.

She is passionate about creating spaces that benefit both people and wildlife and is motivated by the opportunity to help create and restore vital habitats for amphibians and reptiles while making them more accessible and welcoming to the communities that live alongside them.

Outside of work, Kat enjoys creating nature-inspired pottery, reading, and exploring woodlands.

kat.richards@froglife.org


Billy Ward, Trainee

Billy is a South London-based nature enthusiast who first got involved with Froglife as a volunteer in 2024 and is now a Trainee on the London Blue Chain Project.

With a background in media, spanning music, film, and fashion, he believes that creative approaches can help tackle conservation challenges.

Billy is passionate about connecting local communities with the green and blue spaces around them.

billy.ward@froglife.org


Diana Hernandez, Trainee

Diana joined Froglife in July 2025 as a trainee for the London Blue Chain project. She has a strong passion for wildlife conservation and a special interest in herpetology.

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She has volunteered as a zookeeper and participated in a range of conservation projects both in the UK and abroad. Her experience also includes coordinating nature-based community workshops through the Colombian Consulate in London, engaging adults and children with sustainability and environmental awareness.

Diana holds a BSc in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science from UWE Bristol. She is now excited to apply her knowledge in a practical setting, helping to protect amphibians in the South London area where she grew up. She is especially enthusiastic about sharing her passion for amphibians with the public and raising awareness about their ecological importance.

In her spare time, Diana enjoys travelling, hiking, and discovering new places, or simply relaxing at home with music and her two cats.

diana.hernandez@froglife.org


Rose Williams, Project Manager

Rose is a Brixton-based nature lover who first started with Froglife as a trainee on the London Blue Chain project. She now manages our Leaping Forward for Dementia project, also in London.

As a regular user of The London Green Chain (a network of footpaths linking green spaces in south east London), creating a wildlife corridor for reptiles and amphibians along the route was a dream come true!

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Rose wants to strengthen the connection to nature in local communities by providing better access, better information, and more support. In her experience, people want to know more about the wildlife in their area, but can feel disconnected from the natural world in a dense urban environment. 

In her free time Rose can be found either in her garden growing veg, watching cricket, or out photographing birds in London.

rose.williams@froglife.org


Scotland Team


Louise Smith, Development Officer
Louise joined the Froglife team in January 2017 and manages the Green Pathways project based in Glasgow.

After graduating in 2015 with an MSc in Applied Marine and Fisheries Ecology she had been volunteering with several different conservation charities near Glasgow to increase her land-based conservation experience.

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She enjoys gaining new practical skills, working with volunteers and especially engaging with children about the natural environment and the fascinating wildlife that can be found there.

louise.smith@froglife.org


Somerset Team


Zak Mather-Gratton, Project Officer

Zak joined Froglife in January 2020 as Project Officer on the Somerset Green Pathways for Life project. He has a BSc in Ecological Science from Edinburgh University, and an MSc in Sustainable Forest and Nature Management from Copenhagen University. 

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Zak has studied arctic shrubs in Alaska, managed volunteer sessions with Avon Wildlife Trust, helped as a freelance consultant on European NGOs’ campaigns against unsustainable bioenergy, worked as a chef in a Berlin café, and helped set up a community garden. Zak has a passion for the southwest, from its beautiful landscapes to its cider, and is thrilled to be expanding Froglife’s work into Somerset.

zak.mathergratton@froglife.org


Yorkshire Team


Darren Starkey, Operations Manager

Darren joined Froglife in February 2021 to manage the Yorkshire Tails Of Amphibian Discovery Project. In 2022 he took on the role of Operations Manager for our smaller projects.

Darren previously worked for the RSPB managing two large nature reserves in Yorkshire and before that, he worked for the Environment Agency in several conservation and project management roles. Darren is a graduate of York St John’s University where he gained a BSc Honours in Environmental Science.

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Darren has been fascinated by UK wildlife since he was a child and is passionate about addressing the declines in UK biodiversity and reconnecting people and communities with the natural world. Aside from reptiles and amphibians Darren’s other areas of expertise are birds, butterflies and wildlife gardening. When he is not at work he can often be found photographing butterflies or trapping moths in his garden.

darren.starkey@froglife.org 


Andy Goff, Development Manager

Andy joined Froglife in 2025 as the Coalface to Wildspace Development Manager in Yorkshire. He has worked across the public, higher education and third sectors in roles that encourage people to become actively involved in their community especially in conservation and environmental projects.

In his spare time Andy can be found exploring the moors with dog Ted and growing fruit and vegetables on his allotment.

Andrew.goff@froglife.org


Anastasia Hinchcliffe, Trainee

Anastasia joined Froglife in March 2025, as a trainee for our Coalface to Wildspace Yorkshire project. She has always had a passion for conservation and a love of amphibians, finally deciding to pursue this path fully after over a decade in the healthcare sector. She is also currently studying for an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation at the University of Leeds.

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As well as being a proud Yorkshire lass, her healthcare background means that she has had substantial experience working with individuals from diverse and often underrepresented backgrounds. This makes her particularly excited about helping to boost involvement in conservation activity within different Yorkshire communities – especially those who may not usually partake – and gaining valuable new skills along the way.

In her spare time, she can be found growing fruit and veg, lurking by her garden pond (and those of anyone she knows) and caring for her various pets.

anastasia.hinchcliffe@froglife.org


Boston Team


Rachel Burton, Project Manager

Rachel joined Froglife in July 2025 to lead the delivery of the Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridor: Boston and Beyond. With a background in business management and a strong foundation in community engagement, she blends strategic thinking with a genuine love for the natural world.

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Her experience includes survey work, environmental education, and community engagement. During her time with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Rachel engaged local communities with nature and supported them in transforming their own green spaces to benefit wildlife and people.

Rachel is passionate about connecting people with wildlife and believes that empowering the next generation is key to long-term environmental change.

rachel.burton@froglife.org


Abby Simpson-Tunnard, Trainee

Abby joined Froglife in January of 2026 and works as a Trainee for the Neighbourhood Wildlife Corridor: Boston & Beyond project.

While studying Environmental Science at the University of York she developed a strong passion for the environment, and having grown up on a farm, she has a keen interest in how conservation and agriculture can coexist and benefit one another.

Outside of work Abby enjoys embroidery and going on mushroom ID walks.

abby.simpson-tunnard@froglife.org


Finance and Office Team


Marie Homewood, Finance Manager

Marie started her working career in the pub trade until she had her children and decided to hang up the party shoes. Not knowing what she really wanted to do she went into the travel industry where she worked within Finance Departments and Aviation Admin.

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On being made redundant Marie started to study towards her AAT qualification completing Level 3, which lead to getting a role for 4 years in a Data & electrical company where she put into practice her studies and gained great experience. Marie then joined Froglife in October 2014 due to previous employer relocation and the chance to expand her accounting knowledge.

marie.homewood@froglife.org


 

Ashlea Mawby, Communications Manager & Toads on Roads Coordinator

Ash was first involved with Froglife back in 2011 as a participant in the ‘Wildlife Ambassadors’ project and had been an enthusiastic volunteer thereafter, being awarded various accolades for her commitment. She joined the Froglife staff team in June 2016 as the Conservation Youth Worker Trainee for the Green Pathways project in Peterborough.

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Whilst working on this project, she achieved things that she is very proud of, including planning the creation and funding of 2 new ponds and being filmed for Gardener’s World. Ash has now worked her way from Communications Officer to Communications Manager, looking after Froglife’s social media channels and website, organising events and designing publications among other things. She is pleased to be using her skills to help raise the profile of Froglife and spread the word about their vital work. Her favourite species is the common toad which is of no surprise, as Ash also coordinates the Toads on Roads Project, looking after all the wonderful toad patrollers and collecting data for Froglife’s research.

ashlea.mawby@froglife.org


Froglife Ecological Services


Kathy Wormald, Director 

Further details in Senior Management Team section above.

kathy.wormald@froglife.org 


james

James McAdie, Head of Operations

James joined Froglife in 2010 and managed many of our Peterborough-based projects. He is now our Head of Operations at Froglife Ecological Services’ (FES), working nation-wide creating and improving habitats for our species and educating budding ecologists through our popular great crested newt training courses.

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As a young lad, James joined the RAF in order to see the world and in his ten years was fortunate enough to complete tours in destinations such as Arizona, Ohio, North America, the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and Turkey. Unfortunately, he also completed a tour in Norfolk.

He enjoys being outside and getting his hands dirty and his role within Froglife enables him to do this on a daily basis. He loves the variety of his role within Froglife – working outdoors with people!

James is unsure which of our species is his favourite – he likes the natterjack toad, but then… he likes the adder too. But which is best? There’s only one way to find out…FIGHT!!!

james.mcadie@froglife.org 


Research Students, Interns & Volunteers


Josie McPherson, Intern

Josie is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, funded by the E4 Doctoral Training Partnership through the Natural Research Council.

Her research focuses on individual behaviour in frog species, including field trips to study poison frogs in French Guiana and Panama.

As part of her doctoral program, Josie is doing a internship with Froglife where thus far she has analysed amphibians use of under-road tunnels, produced briefings, and verified wildlife observations submitted through the DragonFinder app.


Emily Seccombe, PhD Student

Emily has joined the Froglife team in 2025, through her PhD position at the University of Reading. She is studying the temporal and spatial impacts of conservation actions on British reptiles and amphibians. A key component will be analysing ponds created by Froglife: revisiting sites, monitoring populations, and using the habitat data to understand which ponds have succeeded in the long-term and why. This research aims to improve the evidence base to guide conservation management for amphibians and reptiles.

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Prior to this research, Emily has gained a MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford, and published research on newt habitat requirements in the Herpetological Journal in 2024. Through working for conservation organisations such as the National Trust, RSPB, Freshwater Habitats Trust and the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, she has developed a specialism in freshwater conservation. She is delighted to be able to continue working in the area of amphibian and reptile conservation through this partnership with Froglife.

emily.seccombe@froglife.org 

 


If you would like to find out about current job vacancies at Froglife, please click here

For information on Froglife’s Trustees click here


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