Our Team

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

Roy Tapping - Manager

Roy is Cofnod's Manager and helped establish Cofnod in 2005. Before this he worked for English Nature and Countryside Council for Wales, following his Masters GIS project with the Biological Records Centre. In his time as manager he's enjoyed helping to develop Cofnod into a flourishing business, with new ways of managing and displaying data, his favourite bit, at its heart. 

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

Bethan Oliver - Data Admin Officer

Bethan is the youngest member of the team. She has lived in Wales all her life and has spent much of it outdoors; one of her favourite places to go is Dinorwig Quarry, above Llanberis. She is also a fluent Welsh speaker. Along with her part-time work at Cofnod, she is completing a psychology degree and hopes to graduate in 2028. In her free time, she enjoys baking, painting and photography.

Email Bethan

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 - Cofnod Systems developer

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

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 .