Our team

Mark has spent much of his life enjoying the benefits of being next to the Ocean, and like the rest of the Ocean Conservation Trust, has witnessed change. Growing up swimming in Plymouth Sound, then learning to surf in South Devon and finally exploring the Ocean floor through diving the change witnessed has been one of loss; loss of rich diverse habitats and the varied wildlife that call these special places home. Mark has always felt at home next to the Ocean and given the opportunity to enhance Ocean Habitats for the benefit of Nature is definitely his favourite part of the job. When he’s not at work, then he is usually found in the Ocean, surfing or diving.

Nicola has always been drawn to the sea and has always wanted to take care of it, as well as encourage others to think about their relationship with the Ocean too. She strongly believes that everyone can be a conservationist. People are our greatest resource and people must be involved!

As a conservation biologist she is passionate about changing the narrative about what constitutes conservation. Everyone on the planet is responsible for the health of the natural world that sustains us, protecting habitats and species in many cases is just a question of human behaviour.

Outside of work she loves spending time with her beautiful rescue dog Funky.

Cat is our dedicated Communications Officer, responsible for all things marketing and communications; but with a background in marine science, she has been known to get stuck in planting seagrass! Her favourite part of the job is collaborating with the rest of the team, and turning their seagrass conservation successes into engaging stories for different audiences. Often referred to as the ‘Head of Morale’ it’s always fun when Cat’s involved.  In her spare time, Cat can often be found by the coast, in the sea, walking on Dartmoor, reading a book or in the pub with her friends!

Whilst studying Oceanography with Coastal Processes at the University of Plymouth, Matt qualified as a HSE diver. With a keen interest in marine life and the underwater environment, he spent many hours in the less than tropical waters off Devon & Cornwall, harvesting seagrass seeds and planting the newly grown seagrass plants as a freelance diver for the OCT.

Matt was delighted to be appointed as the Dive Technician and Co-ordinator for the OCT where he maintains the team’s dive equipment, plans the dive logistics and helps to ensure the divers safety. He continues to take part in the dives to harvest and plant the seagrass, along with the monitoring of the seagrass beds and placement of marker buoys to protect the meadows.

A great lover of the outdoors, Matt enjoys trying new sports and activities – already a well established skier & rugby player, he took up climbing last year, has rediscovered his enthusiasm for cycling (both off road and on) and is currently in training for his first triathlon in July.

Andy is the Conservation Projects Manager for Blue Meadows, which basically means a bit of everything! He has worked in marine conservation for nearly 20 years across NGOs, government and academia, primarily focused on mapping and data analysis. An experienced diver and a seasoned swimmer, he’s probably happiest when he’s on, in or under the water so he feels very lucky to be working on seagrass conservation! He also loves to draw, sing loudly behind closed doors where he can’t hurt anyone and he likes to think he runs but there’s not much evidence of it these days.

Mim is a seagrass aquaculture technician working in the Brixham seagrass facility. As a part of the Blue Meadows team Mim works to restore this endangered habitat, by cultivating seagrass plants from seeds until they’re ready to be deployed out at sea. Mim’s favourite part of the job is, after the gruelling task of making and planting 600 crates along with help from her team and their faithful volunteers, seeing, what she calls “baby seagrass!”, pop out through the sand and start to show signs of development for the first time. Mim has many hobbies, which include gaming, surfing, playing guitar and going to the pub.

Amelia is passionate conservationist and experienced diver. Her job at the Ocean Conservation Trust involves growing seagrass in our state of the art lab at the National Marine Aquarium. This involves being in the water and in the lab, looking after the plants and seeds to improve our growing facility and the restoration efforts. Her favourite part of the job is being under water, completely silent, surrounded by the marine environment. In her spare time she also enjoy spending time in the water, regularly practicing underwater hockey.

Megan is one of our Blue Meadows Engagement Officers. Her job involves sharing knowledge and increasing awareness of our spectacular seagrass habitats, whilst empowering communities to care for their local meadows. Her favourite part of the job is seeing the exhilaration on people’s faces when they experience seagrass for the first time!

In her spare time, Megan loves doing anything in, on or near the water – whether that is walking along the Southwest Coast path, swimming or paddleboarding.

Eden is one of our Blue Meadows Engagement Officers. Her job involves empowering communities along the southwest to take action for their local seagrass beds and get involved with the Blue Meadows project.

Growing up by the sea, she has always felt a special connection to the Ocean, and she’s constantly fascinated by the array of species that call it home, especially the seagrass! Loving all things Ocean she’s passionate about protecting the marine environment.

In her free time, Eden can be found walking, growing veggies, or at the beach snorkelling, and she loves to dive into a good book!