Board of Trustees

Ian Dunbar
Chair
Ian is a director of a marketing consultancy, and undertakes consultancy and research assignments both in the UK and overseas.

Bats first captured Ian's interest in the 1970s and he was reminded of why he became hooked when introducing his own children to bats some years later. On first hearing about BCT, Ian and his family became members and since 2001 he has been on the Board of Trustees.

Ian brings marketing expertise to BCT, along with experience in managing small organisations and addressing the challenges they face.

Dr Sheila Wright
Vice Chair

Sheila is a museum curator and has Degree in Zoology from Leeds University and a PhD from Nottingham University working on insect hormones.

Sheila has a long-standing interest in bats and has been Chair of South Nottinghamshire Bat Group for many years, and until recently, the East Midlands Regional Bat Group representative. Sheila was a founding member of BCT.

Michael Ford
Secretary

Michael is a barrister in private practice, a part-time Employment Tribunal chairman and a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics.

Michael often assists BCT on legal issues, including in relation to environmental law. Michael's bat interest is of uncertain origin!
He is a member of the Avon Bat Group and of various other wildlife organisations.

Gail Armstrong
Treasurer

Gail is a business analyst and represents the interests of voluntary bat workers and affiliated bat groups on the board.

Gail always had a love of wildlife but her interest in bats came following a bat walk in 1994. Gail is a volunteer roost visitor with Natural England and secretary of North Lancashire Bat Group.

Gail is passionate about bat welfare, believing that it contributes to our knowledge of bat behaviour and also to conservation in a wider sense by educating people and demonstrating that bats are worth protecting.

Richard Crompton
Trustee
Richard became interested in bats when volunteering with the National Trust in 1991. Since then he studied for a Countryside Management degree in Aberystwyth, and has since gained Chartered Environmentalist status.

Richard is an active member of the North Ceredigion Bat Group and Wales Mammal Group, and also teaches courses for BCT and the Snowdonia National Park Study Centre - Plas Tanybwlch.

Gareth Jones
Trustee
Gareth has been a bat researcher for 20 years, and has studied bats in Europe, India, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China and North America . His main interests are in conservation, molecular ecology and echolocation.

Gareth has published more than 120 refereed papers, and currently leads a research group at the University of Bristol where he also teaches mammal biology, bioacoustics and evolution.

Kate Jones
Trustee
Kate is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London. She is interested in the conservation, evolution and ecology of bats and particularly how to improve the communication of science into conservation policy.

Kate is running numerous bat research projects around the world, and in the UK she was involved with the London Bat Group for many years.

Colleen Mainstone
Trustee
Colleen is an Ecological Consultant (bats), and also worked for BTCV for 10 years, developing training and support for volunteer conservation groups, individuals and projects. Prior to BTCV, Colleen worked for other voluntary organisations in the fields of conservation, special educational needs, homelessness and as a craft, design and technology teacher.

Colleen's bat interest was sparked in 1993 during a bat talk from BCT after which she became secretary of Hampshire Bat Group . Since then, Colleen has been coordinating voluntary bat surveys, training and publicity. She is a licenced Natural England Trainer and enjoys the odd bat conservation survey abroad when time allows!

Debora Matthews
Trustee
Debora is the first Director of the Judicial Offices for England and Wales. Based at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, the Offices assist the senior judiciary in their roles and responsibilities under the Constitutional Reform Act 2004.

A career civil servant, Debora joined the Lord Chancellor's Department in 1999 as Principal Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor on secondment from Inland Revenue. She then moved to the Courts Service and was responsible for the unified courts administration programme which resulted in the launch of HM Courts Service in April 2004. She was appointed Executive Director at the Judicial Studies Board in May 2003.

Victoria McNichol
Trustee
Vicki has worked in fundraising for more than 15 years and has broad-based fundraising skills, which is of great benefit to the Bat Conservation Trust.

Vicki has worked at a senior management level for the past eight years, and her experience has now broadened considerably and covers all aspects of charity income development.

Bill Parker
Bat Group Forum Representative

Bill has a lifelong interest in all forms of natural history, especially birds. He became actively involved in bat conservation in 2000, when his young daughter objected to him spending too much time away on birding trips. As bat fieldwork could be done at night when she was asleep, the binoculars made way for a bat detector!

Bill helped to set up the North Bucks Bat Group and has been secretary since 2002. He has held a Natural England Roost Visitor licence since 2003

Nick Tomlinson
Trustee

Nick has always had a strong interest in the natural world, but his interest in bats was awoken when his wife suggested they should start training as volunteer bat wardens, nearly a decade ago. Nick went along to the 'taster' session and was hooked, gaining his first EPS licence in 2001.

Since getting started, Nick has been heavily involved with the Dorset Bat Group (including being chair for three years) and with BCT, in a voluntary capacity, carrying out four NBMP surveys, becoming chair of the Bat Group Forum in 2005 and, later, becoming a trustee in 2007. Nick also worked for BCT as Bat Group Officer for twelve months before realising the opportunity of a lifetime, to take over management of 450 acres of RSPB wetland nature reserve less than two miles from his front door. His other interests include moths, botany, birding (of course) and bird ringing, having qualified in the latter some four years ago.

	Ian Dunbar *Chair* Ian is a director of a marketing consultancy, and undertakes consultancy and research assignments both in the UK and overseas. Bats first captured Ian's interest in the 1970s and he was reminded of why he became hooked when introducing his own children to bats some years later. On first hearing about BCT, Ian and his family became members and since 2001 he has been on the Board of Trustees. Ian brings marketing expertise to BCT, along with experience in managing small organisations and addressing the challenges they face.
	Dr Sheila Wright *Vice Chair* Sheila is a museum curator and has Degree in Zoology from Leeds University and a PhD from Nottingham University working on insect hormones. Sheila has a long-standing interest in bats and has been Chair of South Nottinghamshire Bat Group for many years, and until recently, the East Midlands Regional Bat Group representative. Sheila was a founding member of BCT.
	Michael Ford Secretary Michael is a barrister in private practice, a part-time Employment Tribunal chairman and a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics. Michael often assists BCT on legal issues, including in relation to environmental law. Michael's bat interest is of uncertain origin! He is a member of the Avon Bat Group and of various other wildlife organisations.
	Gail Armstrong *Treasurer* Gail is a business analyst and represents the interests of voluntary bat workers and affiliated bat groups on the board. Gail always had a love of wildlife but her interest in bats came following a bat walk in 1994. Gail is a volunteer roost visitor with Natural England and secretary of North Lancashire Bat Group. Gail is passionate about bat welfare, believing that it contributes to our knowledge of bat behaviour and also to conservation in a wider sense by educating people and demonstrating that bats are worth protecting.
	Richard Crompton *Trustee* Richard became interested in bats when volunteering with the National Trust in 1991. Since then he studied for a Countryside Management degree in Aberystwyth, and has since gained Chartered Environmentalist status. Richard is an active member of the North Ceredigion Bat Group and Wales Mammal Group, and also teaches courses for BCT and the Snowdonia National Park Study Centre - Plas Tanybwlch.
	Gareth Jones *Trustee* Gareth has been a bat researcher for 20 years, and has studied bats in Europe, India, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China and North America . His main interests are in conservation, molecular ecology and echolocation. Gareth has published more than 120 refereed papers, and currently leads a research group at the University of Bristol where he also teaches mammal biology, bioacoustics and evolution.
	Kate Jones *Trustee* Kate is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London. She is interested in the conservation, evolution and ecology of bats and particularly how to improve the communication of science into conservation policy. Kate is running numerous bat research projects around the world, and in the UK she was involved with the London Bat Group for many years.
	Colleen Mainstone *Trustee* Colleen is an Ecological Consultant (bats), and also worked for BTCV for 10 years, developing training and support for volunteer conservation groups, individuals and projects. Prior to BTCV, Colleen worked for other voluntary organisations in the fields of conservation, special educational needs, homelessness and as a craft, design and technology teacher. Colleen's bat interest was sparked in 1993 during a bat talk from BCT after which she became secretary of Hampshire Bat Group . Since then, Colleen has been coordinating voluntary bat surveys, training and publicity. She is a licenced Natural England Trainer and enjoys the odd bat conservation survey abroad when time allows!
	Debora Matthews *Trustee* Debora is the first Director of the Judicial Offices for England and Wales. Based at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, the Offices assist the senior judiciary in their roles and responsibilities under the Constitutional Reform Act 2004. A career civil servant, Debora joined the Lord Chancellor's Department in 1999 as Principal Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor on secondment from Inland Revenue. She then moved to the Courts Service and was responsible for the unified courts administration programme which resulted in the launch of HM Courts Service in April 2004. She was appointed Executive Director at the Judicial Studies Board in May 2003.
	Victoria McNichol *Trustee* Vicki has worked in fundraising for more than 15 years and has broad-based fundraising skills, which is of great benefit to the Bat Conservation Trust. Vicki has worked at a senior management level for the past eight years, and her experience has now broadened considerably and covers all aspects of charity income development.
	Bill Parker *Bat Group Forum Representative* Bill has a lifelong interest in all forms of natural history, especially birds. He became actively involved in bat conservation in 2000, when his young daughter objected to him spending too much time away on birding trips. As bat fieldwork could be done at night when she was asleep, the binoculars made way for a bat detector! Bill helped to set up the North Bucks Bat Group and has been secretary since 2002. He has held a Natural England Roost Visitor licence since 2003
	Nick Tomlinson Trustee Nick has always had a strong interest in the natural world, but his interest in bats was awoken when his wife suggested they should start training as volunteer bat wardens, nearly a decade ago. Nick went along to the 'taster' session and was hooked, gaining his first EPS licence in 2001. Since getting started, Nick has been heavily involved with the Dorset Bat Group (including being chair for three years) and with BCT, in a voluntary capacity, carrying out four NBMP surveys, becoming chair of the Bat Group Forum in 2005 and, later, becoming a trustee in 2007. Nick also worked for BCT as Bat Group Officer for twelve months before realising the opportunity of a lifetime, to take over management of 450 acres of RSPB wetland nature reserve less than two miles from his front door. His other interests include moths, botany, birding (of course) and bird ringing, having qualified in the latter some four years ago.