About Us – Ealing Wildlife Group

Sean McCormack, a vet and lifelong naturalist, with a passion for wildlife conservation and education, set up EWG in 2016. In a local social media group, someone mentioned Bats at the Hanwell Viaduct and Sean asked if there’d be any interest in educational Bat walks in the borough. Following an overwhelming response from keen locals, the EWG Facebook Group was formed with summer Bat Walks our first activity.

Since then EWG membership has grown to over 6,000. We have secured funding for several community environmental projects and launched a hugely successful wildlife photography competition and public exhibition. The main hub of activity and discussion remains on the Facebook group; here members can truly appreciate the diversity of wildness on our doorstep through others’ observations and posts.

Meet the Team!

Chair of EWG

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Favourite British Animal: Red Squirrel

Originally from New Zealand, Ben’s connection to conservation was shaped by his grandfather, his surroundings, and a long-running subscription to Forest & Bird magazine.Growing up, caring about nature was a normal part of everyday life. Ben moved to the UK in 2003 and has been an Ealing resident since 2019, where he values our area’s green spaces, canals, and strong sense of community.

Before becoming Chair of EWG in 2026, Ben was a long-time admirer of the group and followed activities closely through social media and local conservation projects. EWG’s three Cs of community, conservation, and collaboration shape the way he thinks and leads.

Professionally, Ben works as a Sustainability Consultant, supporting global organisations on climate, nature, and sustainable development issues. While much of his work operates at international, regional, and national levels, it is always rooted in community engagement and collective action. He is committed to supporting EWG’s continued success in protecting local nature and connecting more people with the natural environment.

Conservation and Rewilding Officer, Founder and Former Chair of EWG, and an Ealing Beaver Project Leader

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Favourite British Animal: Brown Long Eared Bat

Sean McCormack is incredibly passionate about community and nature. Growing up in Co. Kildare, Sean spent his childhood obsessed with birds, bugs and plants and is a self-confessed nature nerd.

Dreaming of being a vet, Sean completed a degree in Animal Science followed by Veterinary Medicine, in Dublin. Once qualified, Sean spent six years working in various domestic and exotic pet practices which led to him moving to Ealing.

Sean combines his passion and extensive knowledge of the natural world to lead EWG, guiding through education and conservation. He has links with many conservation organisations across the UK that enable Ealing to play a part in wider, national studies and programmes.

Treasurer

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Favourite British Animal: Peregrine Falcon

Originally from Dublin Ireland, where as a kid his Dad would point out birds, plants, and insects on holiday walks, Brian came to London to visit his sister ‘for the summer’ the year he turned 19… and has never left.

Initially enjoying London’s music and pub scene, Brian’s renewed interest in wildlife grew over time. He now actively enjoys long walks in the countryside with his binoculars and camera, and a bat detector for the evenings (although that’s often shared). The sound of a bat’s feeding buzz always puts a smile on his face.

He has been Treasurer since EWG became ‘official’ and can often be found at the Grosvenor pub with other members of EWG for their quiz.

Fundraising Officer

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Favourite British Animal: Otter

Sandra has lived in Ealing for over 30 years. She had a corporate background in senior commercial retail before developing an interest in sustainability and setting up her own online company sourcing and distributing biodegradable catering and party supplies.

She is a keen animal lover and has owned many rescue pets including guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs. Sandra has been a volunteer for Ealing Wildlife Group since 2019.

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Volunteer Officer, Swift Project Leader

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Favourite British Animal: Gannet

Fiona has always been interested in wildlife, but it was the long periods of lockdown that drove her to apply for a role with EWG.

The idea of grassroots conservation was really appealing, particularly in a world where you can feel you have so little control in stopping the destruction of our wildlife and their habitats.

It has been a steep learning curve, but Fiona has loved being involved in helping Ealing’s wildlife and habitats to recover. She can genuinely say she feels she’s making a small difference and that I love working with a great team of like-minded people.

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Ecologist

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Favourite British Animal: Kingfisher

Nadya grew up loving animals and was fascinated by nature in different parts of the world. From a family of wanderers, she is always happy to take a hike and soak in the nature around her.

During her first field science job tracking water contamination, she watched how the spiders and birds were eating insects emerging from the contaminated water and realised she could use science to protect nature.

She went on to curate a diverse set of ecological research expertise, co-founding an award-winning Ecology and Conservation Association at her university, earning a BSc (Hons) specialising in ecology and conservation, and then earning an MSc (Hons) specialising in applied ecology. She continues studying nature while also providing a hands-on approach to conservation projects.

Nadya combines her education, passion for nature conservation, and research expertise to elevate biodiversity monitoring and conservation.

Projects Co-ordinator, Hedgehog Project Leader

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Favourite British Animal: Fox

Gemma grew up in Lancashire on the edge of the countryside and has a lifelong love of nature and wildlife. As a child, she had a variety of pets, loved reading about wildlife, and has very fond memories of wandering in the nearby fields and woods.

She moved to Ealing in 2016 and joined the EWG Facebook Group soon after. In 2022, whilst on maternity leave, she became more actively involved in EWG being a regular volunteer at the recently created Costons Lane Nature Reserve. More recently she has taken on leading our Hedgehog Highways project.

With 12 years of experience in programme and project management, Gemma uses her skills to support local conservation efforts with efficient processes and guidance to manage our projects.

Gemma finds being part of EWG both therapeutic and exciting in equal measures, providing opportunities to spend time in nature and meet like-minded people. It also helps her feel she is doing her bit to protect our wildlife and environment.

Newsletter Editor

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Favourite British animal: Red Squirrel (but have never seen one in the UK)

Growing up in the London suburbs, Emily’s interest in nature was kindled by discovery of a slow worm, aged about 5, on a day out in Sussex. Inspired by British icon, Sir David Attenborough, she studied Biological Sciences at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and worked for eighteen years in laboratory research.

More recently, Emily worked in research funding, before a move back to the academic environment. She currently works part time at the Institute for Child Health, UCL curating a database of information on inherited neurodegenerative diseases.

Emily is full of admiration for EWG’s work and was delighted to join as newsletter editor in March 2024. When not volunteering with EWG, Emily can be found gardening, litter-picking with LAGER Can, or playing her violin with Ealing Symphony Orchestra.

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Event Officer

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Favourite British animal: Red Squirrel

Sabrina has loved wildlife for as long as she can remember, fascinated by the diversity and beauty of the natural world. Over time, her passion has grown to include sustainability and community engagement, and she enjoys finding ways to bring people closer to nature while supporting conservation.

She joined Ealing Wildlife Group to combine her love of animals with her knack for organising events that inspire and educate. Sabrina is especially excited about creating opportunities for people to get hands-on with wildlife and learn how to protect it.

She has a soft spot for meeting local animals, from hedgehogs and squirrels to visiting rescue centres whenever she can. Always on the lookout for collaborations that make a real difference, Sabrina has also taken part in international projects, including a volunteer trip on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, helping to remove plastic and protect fragile coastal ecosystems.

Secretary

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Favourite British Animal: Fox

Nicola was born in Ealing and grew up in Hanwell near the Bunny Park where she spent much of her childhood enjoying the parks and green spaces, and going for long walks with her family along the canal. The Bunny Park is a special place for her as she pretty much grew up there – playing in the fields and by the river as a child and then being employed at her first job at sixteen serving ice creams in the Bunny Park cafe. She still lives in Hanwell overlooking Hanwell cemetery – a beautiful, peaceful green space with its wonderful trees and large number of birds and other wildlife. Nicola has always loved animals and nature, and remained in Ealing because it has so much to give in terms of wildlife, and has so many beautiful green spaces to explore. There are areas of the borough where you feel like you are no longer in the Capital and can lose yourself in the beauty of trees and birdsong.

Nicola joined EWG on Facebook in 2018 and enjoyed following the local wildlife stories such as our peregrine parents at Ealing Hospital as well as attending the Wildlife Photography exhibition every year with her parents since it started. She became a regular volunteer on the Beaver project when it began in October 2023, going on fence patrol every month and earning herself a King’s Award badge. In early 2025, she joined the EWG pub quiz team with some of the officers and joined the EWG Officer team as Secretary and Board member in March 2025.

Assistant Secretary

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Favourite British animal: Red Squirrel

Dawn has been interested in wildlife since childhood, when she was a member of the Young Ornithologists Club. Family holidays in the UK often involved a birdwatching trip to a nature reserve.

She has always been a keen traveller, and over the years has found herself drawn back to Africa time and time again. In 2010 she took a year out to explore the continent, its wildlife and the tourism industry in more depth. She spent 8 weeks volunteering in Tembe elephant reserve in South Africa, monitoring lions and elephants and assisting with an African Wild Dog reintroduction project. She scuba dived in Sodwana Bay, hiked the Wild Coast and worked in safari camps in Botswana for 3 months and South Luangwa in Zambia for 3 months.

She still returns to Africa on safari several times a year, with Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe being her current favourite destinations. Although she is a keen photographer, she also enjoys putting her camera aside to enjoy the bush on foot.

Dawn moved to Ealing in 2017 from Stoke Newington, and when covid travel restrictions hit, she was inspired by the EWG on Facebook to pick up her binoculars and explore nature closer to home, initially in a quest to find little owls. Interested in meeting more people in the local area, she attended the Christmas drinks and got involved in some of the pub based social events, and as a keen photographer she has taken her camera along to several harvest mouse releases.

In 2025 she took the plunge and applied for the Secretary role, which she is delighted to share with Nic, her fellow member of the EWG pub quiz team Beaver Patrol.

Technology Officer

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Favourite British animal: Ladybird Spider (Eresus sandaliatus)

Abhilesh grew up in central India with a curiosity for understanding how things work. Initially drawn to the physical sciences, surrounded by an extraordinary richness of biodiversity while on a field research project in North-East India during his undergraduate years, shifted his focus towards evolutionary biology and the processes that drive it.

Abhilesh went on to pursue a PhD in the United States, studying how mitochondria (the “powerhouses of the cell”) shape the way organisms function and evolve. He moved to the UK in 2022, first as a researcher at University College London, before joining the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit at the University of Cambridge, where he continues this work.

Hunting for flats in London, he fortuitously landed in Ealing, and soon found a warm and passionate community in the Ealing Wildlife Group. He has since been actively involved in the Ealing Beaver Project, serving as its Technology Lead, monitoring the beavers and the changes they bring to the local landscape.

As EWG’s Tech Officer, he builds and manages the group’s websites, livestreams and digital infrastructure. He is particularly interested in what technology can bring to wildlife monitoring and conservation, from webcams, camera traps and bioacoustic devices to satellite imagery for tracking landscape changes.

Away from the screens, he is keen photographer and naturalist, who participates in local ecological surveys in the borough and has a particular fondness for spiders, the Ladybird Spider being a firm favourite.

Personal website

Urban Beaver Officer

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Favourite British animal: Eurasian Beaver

Şeniz joined the Ealing Beaver Project in 2025 as the Urban Beaver Officer. At university, whilst studying ecology and conservation, she undertook internships in environmental education, rewilding and land management. She explored her passion for reintroductions and rewilding by investigating and publishing research on the dietary behaviour of White Storks at Knepp Estate. After graduating with a master’s, Şeniz freelanced in engagement and education for various environmental organisations across London and Sussex. In addition to advising on access to nature and inclusivity within the environmental sector and creating social media content to engage the wider public.

Communications Officer

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Favourite British animal: Red Fox

Claudia was born in Northern Italy, where she was raised with a deep-rooted respect for the environment, whether hiking the Alps or watching her father single-handedly clean beaches while on holiday in Sardinia.

While she has always felt an affinity for animals, adopting her own cat in 2019 turned that interest into a dedicated passion for animal welfare and wildlife conservation. After living in the Netherlands, Claudia moved to London in 2020 and settled in Hanwell in 2022, where she first discovered the Ealing Wildlife Group. After several years as a casual participant, she officially joined the EWG team in 2026.

With a Master’s degree in Media & Business (including a thesis focused on corporate volunteering) and a decade of experience in marketing and communications in the tech industry, Claudia is excited to translate her expertise into meaningful impact for local conservation and community engagement.

Community Outreach Officer

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Favourite British animal: Red Kite

Amita’s journey into conservation began with a curiosity for mycology, sparked during lockdown walks where she discovered that fungi are thriving everywhere if you take the time to look.

Having witnessed how community-led conservation can transform both local ecosystems and people’s personal connections to nature, Amita is passionate about further breaking down any barriers to participation. She is focused on continuing to grow the EWG family, encouraging even more people to engage with, protect, and feel a sense of ownership over their local environment.

Events Officer

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Favourite British animal: Slow worm (Anguis fragilis)

Anna grew up in Rome and fell in love with animals at the age of five, thanks to a book she couldn’t even read yet. She was convinced she’d become a vet, but life had other plans.

Years later, a trip to the jungles of Costa Rica reminded her of her love for nature. Since then, Anna started travelling and volunteering with conservation projects across Central America, with Madagascar and the Philippines firmly on her wish list.

She’s especially passionate about the ocean — from helping protect turtles to getting stuck into coral reef conservation — and has picked up a few diving qualifications along the way, plus a certificate in Sustainable Development and Conservation Science.

Anna built a career in member experience, corporate events and operations, and has over 10 years experience helping charities and start-ups to build a sustainable structure and scale up.

She believes in a culture of kindness and inclusion, empowering people and building communities.

In her spare time you’ll probably find her tending to her plants, praying next to her tub pond for frogs and newts to come, or helping out cleaning waterways in Ealing.