Staff
National Coordinator - Dr Angela Julian
Angela first took on the role of Secretary to ARG UK as a volunteer in January 2011. Since 2016, thanks to generous support from the Patsy Wood Trust, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Garfield Weston Foundation, she has been able to work for us as National Coordinator. Angela coordinates the network of 40 county-based volunteer amphibian and reptile groups, liaising with the chairs and committees, as well as leading national projects including 'Adders are Amazing!', 'Dragons in the Hills', the 'Scottish National Adder Survey' and 'Reconnecting Prisoners with the Natural World'. She also administers the ARG UK related websites, social media presence and umbrella insurance scheme; our recording database - Record Pool (www.recordpool.org.uk); organises local, regional and national meetings including supporting the annual Herpetofauna Workers' Meeting; and is the first point of contact for national representation by ARG UK. Angela is also secretary of OxARG.
Drawing on her experience as a principal scientist at the Natural Resources Institute, working with subsistence farmers and other local stakeholders to co-develop more equitable and sustainable agricultural cropping systems, Angela has applied a collaborative approach to working with local partners and stakeholders in the UK and northern Ireland to evidence and support the conservation of amphibians and reptiles of the UK. Her published research portfolio can be accessed here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angela-Julian/research.
Trustees
ARG UK is guided by a Board of Trustees comprising a Chair, Vice-chair, Treasurer, Secretary, supported by ARG representatives and advisors. The Trustees meet three times a year, normally in January, July and October.
Chair of Trustees - Chris Monk
Chris is secretary of the Derbyshire Amphibian & Reptile Group and has organised the carrying out of survey work in the Peak District for adders since 2005, as well as coordinating Make The Adder Count. He has worked for Pond Conservation in South Yorkshire and now works in Countryside Management in Derbyshire, and has had the pleasure of showing Ray Mears around his favourite amphibian ponds.
Treasurer Trustee - Frank Syratt
Formerly Chief Executive, The Ramblers’ Association, Director of Resources at Plantlife International, Finance Manager for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Accountant for The New Internationalist and Asylum Welcome. Frank brings his extensive financial background to monitoring and supporting our financial processes, and ensuring that the ARG UK accounts are prepared in an accurate and timely manner in accordance with HMRC and Charity Commission requirements.
Trustee - John Baker
John is treasurer of Suffolk ARG, and works as an ecological consultant based in Suffolk. He has a long career in herpetology, with stints at ARC and Froglife. He monitors the reintroduction sites for our rarest native amphibian, the pool frog.
Safeguarding Trustee - Suzie Collinson
Suzie is currently Chairperson of the Cumbria Amphibian and Reptile Group. She has a background in Zoology, Education and Seasonal Ecology work, and a passion for herpetofauna (specialising in Slow worm ecology). She brings all of these skills to supporting ARG UK’s purpose, objectives and values of amphibian and reptile conservation through supporting individual ARG groups. Suzie is also our safeguarding trustee, as has considerable training and experience in this field. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., if you have any concerns about a safeguarding incident or a more general question.
Trustee - Jeanette Hall
Jeanette is a professional woodland ecologist, currently based with Nature Scot. A botanist by background, she has applied her ecological skills to amphibians and reptiles and is one of the founders of the Highland Amphibian and Reptile Project (HARP), which aims to increase knowledge of amphibians and reptiles in the Scottish Highlands and apply this knowledge for conservation within the region and using biogeography, genetics and ecology to inform on-the-ground habitat management. Core projects for the group include a better understanding of the isolated population of Great Crested Newt found in the region; investigating island populations of common toad; studying the ecology of the palmate newt, and looking at interactions between anthropogenic development and herps, including the impacts of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS).
Trustee - Nigel Hand
Nigel is an active committee member of the Herefordshire Amphibian and Reptile Team (HART), and amphibian and reptile recorder for the region. He is particularly passionate about adders, and has filmed the species for BBC One, ITV and recorded for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester. He has also pioneered the use of radio telemetry to track adders in the UK, and is a recognised expert in this field.
Trustee - Erik Paterson
Erik is a long-standing committee member for the Clyde Amphibian and Reptile Group, an independent researcher, and runs an ecological consultancy. Erik has been involved with grass-roots herpetofauna conservation in the Clyde area for over a decade and in this time has published a number of research articles on amphibian ecology and survey methodology. Erik is passionate about upskilling the next generation of herpetologists and encouraging the free sharing of data to better facilitate cross-organisation conservation activities.
Trustee - Alice Pawlik
Alice is a member of Devon ARG and Cornwall ARG, and is currently studying the links between the skin microbiome, pollution and disease susceptibility in common frogs for her PhD at the University of Exeter. Previously, Alice has reared pool frogs for reintroduction as ARC's Amphibian Husbandry Officer, was Project Assistant for Froglife’s London T.O.A.D Project, and has lots of experience working with both museum and zoological collections of reptiles and amphibians.
Interns
Training and Events Intern - Maiya Evans
I’ve been interested in UK amphibians and reptiles since the age of 15, when I was lucky enough to spot my first great crested newt; since then, my whole life has been dedicated to learning about these incredible species. Amphibians and reptiles are fascinating creatures that are often underappreciated. But when you take the time to observe these species up close, you gain a deeper appreciation for their unique characteristics and behaviours.
Since volunteering with ARG I have gone on to become Chair of Nottinghamshire Amphibian and Reptile Group and Amphibian and Reptile Officer for my local 'friends of' group. Due to my love for reptiles and amphibians, I am now studying Wildlife Conservation at Nottingham Trent University. I have just finished my second year and am now going into my placement year where I am doing an internship with ARG and I look forward to spending another year working with these wonderful creatures.
The grass roots of reptile and amphibian conservation in the UK - the ARGs!
The Board of Trustees is elected by the affiliated member ARGs, and many are drawn from the volunteer network. All ARGs that are affiliated to ARGUK are eligible to vote at the online AGM in February.
We work in partnership with many different organisations including, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, Froglife, the Freshwater Habitats Trust, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust, Forestry England, the Association of Local Government Ecologists and others as appropriate. If anyone would like to offer their services as a trustee, and can bring expertise on matters concerning amphibian and reptile conservation and charity governance, please do contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
