BLS Officers

Fay Newbery began looking at lichens in 2008 when her interest in botany expanded to include bryophytes and lichens. Her experience and interest in teaching led her to volunteer as a member of the Education & Promotions Committee which she later chaired for a number of years. During this time, she pushed forward projects such as online learning and Species Descriptions aimed at beginner/intermediate lichenologists. Recently, Fay has combined her work with plant pathogens and her interest in lichens to promote the study of lichenicolous fungi which include the pathogens of the lichen world.

Contact Fay Newbery by email on president@britishlichensociety.org.uk

Mary has had a lifelong interest in the natural world beginning with birds in her early teens. She started studying lichens in 2018 when a long-standing interest in geology led her to wonder what the lichens on the surface of the rocks could tell about the rock underneath. Mary has been a trustee for the Shropshire Geological Society for 16 years, including 10 years as Chair and is currently one of the contacts for the Shropshire Lichen Group. She feels that volunteering more time to the BLS helps the BLS further its charitable aims.

Contact Mary Steer by email on vice-president@britishlichensociety.org.uk

After graduating with a business degree (specialising in accountancy with law), Duncan’s career began in financial analysis. He later moved into operational management before, with his wife, setting up and running a marketing business for over 25 years. He’s always loved natural history, especially bird watching, and only really ‘discovered’ lichens in late 2020! “The support the BLS has given me as a newcomer has been both impressive and much appreciated, so I’m delighted to be able to give something back.”

Contact the treasurer by email on treasurer@britishlichensociety.org.uk

"Always looking and wondering, sometimes identifying, seldom recording, I've been keen on lichens since my teens when I read the John Wyndham novel 'Trouble with Lichens'.
I've done a bit of medical research using electron microscopy to examine diabetic cells. Then some school science teaching, tutoring and mentoring. I'm fortunate to have a supportive high achieving family who indulge my lichenological interests but who are not quite paid up members of the BLS. 
But I'm working on it! And I love helping the Society with the Council meeting Minutes."

Contact by email on ehsbiol@hotmail.co.uk

John Skinner worked for many years at Southend-on-Sea Museums, firstly as Keeper of Natural History, later as Museums Manager. Since retiring in 2014 he has had more time to concentrate on his interest in lichens with a special interest in the lichens of Essex and of London. He now spends much of his time in Devon where he is assisting with a survey of the lichens of the north Devon coast. He worked as Treasurer of the BLS for 15 years and is delighted, in 2022, to be taking over as Communications Secretary from Sandy Coppins.

Contact by email on enquiries@britishlichensociety.org.uk

Maxine studied botany at Bristol University before a short period in literature research with a pharmaceutical company. She then became editor of a microbiology journal in London for a number of years and is now Bulletin Editor for the Society. Her interest in lichens began in 2008 whilst living on the coast in North Devon, a county with an impressive list of species. Maxine has worked on recording for the New Flora of Devon as well as the BTO’s Bird Atlas (2007-2011) and submits lichen records to the Society’s database annually. For the past 7 years she has been leading workshops and field meetings for beginners in the study of lichens for both the Devon and Cornwall Wildlife Trusts and has been involved in two of Plantlife’s education programmes as tutor.

Contact on bulletin@britishlichensociety.org.uk

Chris Ellis is joint Senior Editor of The Lichenologist along with Leena Myllys (University of Helsinki). Chris was introduced to lichens through a postdoc working on lichen physiology with Peter Crittenden (University of Nottingham) and then trained on lichen diversity with Brian Coppins at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), where is now Head of Cryptogam Section and Co-ordinator for RBGE’s Scottish Conservation Science. Chris has particular interests in ecology and the response of lichens to environmental change.

For queries relating to The Lichenologist visit Cambridge University Press.

Janet Simkin studied botany at Cambridge but her interest in lichens dates back even further, to a school project on churchyard lichens. She was distracted for a while by a career in software development before returning to academic life to research the ecology of the lichen-rich grasslands contaminated by lead mining. Now a lecturer at Newcastle University she has a special interest in species-rich grasslands and anthropogenic plant communities, and her work involves a fascinating but often confusing mix of research, surveys and teaching. In the BLS she has been involved in developing our database and website.

Contact Janet Simkin by email on records@britishlichensociety.org.uk

Graham Boswell is the Field Meetings Secretary and the Data Protection Officer for the British Lichen Society. He is also a member of the Education & Promotions Committee and Conservation Committee, and heads up the BLS Montane Lichen Group. Graham is a retired Lecturer and Mountaineer, and is a practicing Ecologist.

Contact Graham Boswell by email on togooutdoors@hotmail.com

In 2002, it was a lichen identification training day to Dell Quay near Chichester led by Simon Davey that got Theresa hooked. She went knowing one species and came back knowing two. Identification skills wounded, this was a challenge not to be ignored! Many years later, it’s still a challenge but Theresa has enjoyed helping other beginners, especially while co-tutoring at Orielton Field Centre. 

Contact Theresa Greenaway by email on theresagreenaway@btinternet.com

Mark Seaward, Emeritus Professor at Bradford University, is an ecologist with a strong interest in biomonitoring pollution, for which he has been internationally honoured, including the Acharius Medal, and in the history of botany. He was the editor of The Naturalist for 36 years, the author and editor of numerous books, and written almost 500 scientific papers. He joined the BLS in 1960 and in 1963 established the Mapping Scheme, acting as its Recorder for many years; he has also been the Society’s President, received the Ursula Duncan Award, and is an Honorary Member.

Contact Mark Seaward by email on m.r.d.seaward@bradford.ac.uk

Richard Brinklow has looked after the British Lichen Society Herbarium for many years. His interest in lichens began while a teenager in Derbyshire when David Hawksworth was compiling a county lichen flora, and continued while studying Botany at Durham University.  Now retired, he spent most of his professional life at Dundee Museum firstly in the Natural History Department and subsequently as a manager.  Over the years he has remained keen on field lichenology as part of a general interest in Natural History.  The BLS Herbarium is still housed at Dundee Museum.

Contact Richard Brinklow by email on herbarium@britishlichensociety.org.uk

Paul Cannon has worked in fungal systematics for more than half his life, moving over to the Dark Side after completing a PhD on legume classification. His early education at the Commonwealth Mycological Institute (subsequently IMI) included an appreciation that lichens are fungi too, and should be integrated into the overall fungal taxonomic scheme. Most of his professional life has involved studying leaf parasites, but he turned up at the BLS 50^th Anniversary Meeting at Nettlecombe in 2008 and unwisely volunteered to become Editor of the Bulletin. The lichen “bug” rapidly took hold, and his current interests revolve around fieldwork, lichen imaging and web development. He now works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

April Windle is a naturalist with a particular interest in lichens, especially those occupying our rainforest habitats along the western seaboard of the British Isles. She is currently self-employed and involved in a variety of lichen education and conservation projects, whilst co-chairing the Education & Promotions Committee of the British Lichen Society.  Her employment history includes Plantlife International, the Natural History Museum, Exmoor National Park Authority and the RSPB. Twitter: @aprilwindle.

Contact April and Raymond by email on education-promotion@britishlichensociety.org.uk

Raymond Griffiths studied Applied Biology at the University of Bath and spent his working life in primary schools in Cardiff and Pembrokeshire. Soon after retirement from teaching, he was introduced to lichens on a course run by Margaret Howells at Aberystwyth University and subsequently became one of Tracey Lovering’s Welsh Lichen Apprentices.

Raymond would describe himself as an interested amateur for whom a knowledge of lichens helps in his understanding of the outdoor environment. He is particularly interested in the lichens of coasts and mountains.

Contact April and Raymond by email on education-promotion@britishlichensociety.org.uk

Neil A Sanderson, is one of Britain’s top field lichenologists, with experience extending from south west England, to northern Scotland. A special interest is the relationship of Britain’s internationally important woodland and parkland lichen floras to land use history, current management and habitat conditions. The challenges of conserving lichen floras dependent on long continuity and stability in a rapidly changing environment are a particular concern.

Contact by email on conservationofficer@britishlichensociety.org.uk

April Windle is a naturalist with a particular interest in lichens, especially those occupying our rainforest habitats along the western seaboard of the British Isles. She is currently self-employed and involved in a variety of lichen education and conservation projects, whilst co-chairing the Education & Promotions Committee of the British Lichen Society.  Her employment history includes Plantlife International, the Natural History Museum, Exmoor National Park Authority and the RSPB. Twitter: @aprilwindle.

Tracey works from her home in West Wales, as a freelance lichen consultant providing lichen ecology and ID training courses, specialist survey and advice, and bespoke lichen, bryophyte and botanical excursions. Tracey holds an MSc in Biological Recording. Her work history includes leading the Wales Lichen Apprenticeship Scheme ‘Cennad’ for Plantlife Cymru, Plant Link Cymru lead; Associate Lichen Tutor for FSC; NVC Surveyor, Monitoring Ecologist, Regional Ecologist, and rep for UK TAG Wood Pasture & Parkland for Natural Resources Wales & Countryside Council for Wales; Ecosystems Advisor, and Wales’ Evidence Gaps Project lead for Wales Biodiversity Partnership. Tracey has served on BLS Council and is a member of the BLS Conservation Committee. Her voluntary work includes Director for Cofnod (N Wales LERC), setting up the Ancient Tree Forum for Wales, and now ‘Cennau Cymru’, the recently reformed Wales Lichen Recording Group.

Contact Tracey by email on: tracey.lichens@gmail.com

Graham Boswell is the Field Meetings Secretary and the Data Protection Officer for the British Lichen Society. He is also a member of the Education & Promotions Committee and Conservation Committee, and heads up the BLS Montane Lichen Group. Graham is a retired Lecturer and Mountaineer, and is a practicing Ecologist.

Contact Graham Boswell by email on togooutdoors@hotmail.com

Since November 2020, Chris Cant has been helping to run the BLS websites and email system. He has been interested in lichens since 2018, has helped set up the Cumbria Lichen and Bryophyte group, runs their website and produces the lichen and byrophyte interactive species maps on there. Chris is a professional programmer/coder and maintains several websites for charities in the voluntary/conservation sector.

Contact Chris Cant by email on webmaster@britishlichensociety.org.uk