Our Team

Our friendly, dedicated and highly skilled team will always try to help with your data needs.

Jemma Findley - Manager

Jemma is Cofnod’s Manager and began working with us in April 2026. To her role she brings nearly a decade of experience from the environmental and conservation charity the Permaculture Association, where she supported a network of educators, designers and consultants working on ecological and regenerative projects. Her work focused on developing learning programmes, building partnerships and improving how knowledge and data are shared.

Outside of work, Jemma spends as much time as possible outdoors with her husband and their two young children, often exploring Eryri and the landscapes of North Wales. She enjoys walking, growing organic food, foraging and nurturing a shared curiosity about nature with her children, with a particular love of birds.

Email Jemma

Roy Tapping - Contracts Manager

Roy is the former manager of Cofnod, helping to establish it in October 2005. In April 2026 he took semi-retirement and started a new job as Cofnod's Contracts Manager. In this role he coordinates the promotion and customer support of Orca and related systems. So, if you are interested in these please contact Roy or one of the Cofnod Team.

Outside of work, Roy loves to run and be out and about either walking the dog, hiking a mountain or travelling in his campervan. Although always drawn to plants, he never feels confident to identify all but the commoner ones, his favourites being all types of Orchid, a few of which he's trying to cultivate in his own garden meadow.

Email Roy

Richard Gallon - Recording Specialist

Richard joined Cofnod in 2006 and has the role of Recording Specialist, organising events and identification courses across North Wales. He also leads on running data enquiries for Cofnod. Growing up locally, he has a broad, life-long, interest in natural history.

Arachnology is Richard's primary focus, and he is the National Organiser for the UK’s Spider Recording Scheme. His idea of a good time is being waist deep in a Sphagnum bog vacuuming spiders in remote areas of Britain. In his spare time he researches the taxonomy of African tarantula spiders, publishing several papers on the group and describing new genera and species in the process. He is also a beekeeper.

Email Richard

Data Team

Cofnod's Data Team is dedicated to increasing the quality and quantity of the data we hold.

Aisling May - Data Team Leader

Aisling is Cofnod's Data Team Leader, having worked for Cofnod since 2006. She manages the flow of data into the Cofnod database, whether online record entry via our Online Recording System or importing electronic data, which is achieved through the work of our highly skilled Data Team. Aisling also has a key role in initiating and maintaining relationships with data suppliers. She works with County Recorders and National Recording Schemes and Societies to facilitate data exchange and utilise their knowledge and experience in maintaining and improving Data Quality.

Originally from Ireland, Aisling continues to improve her Welsh language skills, often by accompanying her children to Eisteddfods. She hopes to have more time in the future for active recording, her main area of interest being plants. She enjoys being outdoors whether hiking, cycling or managing her increasingly wildlife friendly garden.

Email Aisling

Catharine Moss - Senior Data Officer

Catharine joined Cofnod in 2018 and is one of Cofnod's Senior Data Officers. As well as working with species records, she also manages Cofnod's spatial data and keeps Cofnod's lists of protected and priority species up to date. She has a particular interest in wild plants and bryophytes. When not at her desk Catharine enjoys hiking, cycling, swimming and filling her garden with fruit, veg and flowers. She also dabbles in fused glass designs inspired by the natural world.

Email Catharine

Jen Vidal - Senior Data Officer

Jen is one of Cofnod's Senior Data Officers, specialising in species data. She is also the editor of our monthly newsletter On the Record and Cofnod's social secretary. Jen has lived in North Wales and worked for Cofnod since 2012. She is keen on birds, with Fulmars and Swifts being particular favourites, and surveys a BTO Breeding Bird Survey square twice a year. In her free time she enjoys hiking, swimming, speaking French, and making jam from the fruit in her garden.

Email Jen

Will Harris - Data Entry Officer

Will is one of Cofnod's newest members and works primarily processing ecological consultancy data. He has a practical background in consultancy conducting annual bat emergence surveys, artificial refugia surveys and helping produce preliminary ecological appraisal reports. Outside the office he keeps himself busy by conducting voluntary marine research, hiking through Eryri and collecting bones.

Email Will

Information Systems Team

Our Information Systems Team, develops and maintains the systems we use to manage and share data.

Tim May - Information Systems Manager

Tim is Cofnod's Information Systems Manager, and has been with us since 2006. He maintains all our systems, and has written much of the software that we and many other LERCs use on a daily basis. Living on Anglesey means he regularly sees his favourite animal, the Red Squirrel, in the garden. When not staring at thousands of lines of code, Tim enjoys hiking, DIY, and playing with the local brass band.

Email Tim

Paul Manington - Systems Developer

Paul is Cofnod's Systems Developer. He helps maintain our systems and has been busy updating our front facing website. He joined in 2023 after moving to Wales with his partner.

He lives in Conwy and enjoys taking part in Triathlon events as part of the GOG Triathlon club as well as Salsa dancing and dabbling with the Guitar.

Email Paul

Nature recorders inspecting and recording species of fungus

On the Record

On the Record is our monthly online newsletter. It's full of interesting information about local wildlife recording, including that month's events and what to look out for in our Species Focus feature. Subscribe now to get next month's issue .

View previous newsletters