Our Team
Sea Trust Wales is run by a dedicated team of staff, interns, trustees, volunteers & alumni.
Staff
Nadia Tomsa
Charity Director
Nadia joined Sea Trust in 2022 as Education & Outreach Officer. In January 2024, Nadia then took on the role of managing the charity. Nadia oversees Sea Trust’s conservation, research, and education projects. She also supports and coordinates all staff, interns, and volunteers. Nadia also acts as Sea Trust’s Designated Safeguarding Person.
Nadia has a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology with Study Abroad. Nadia is passionate about engaging the community and wider public with Wales’ incredible marine life and environment. In her spare time, Nadia can usually be found walking the coast path or swimming in the sea, always looking for wildlife!
Lloyd Nelmes
Aquarium Manager & Project Officer (Recycle Môr)
Lloyd is Sea Trust’s Aquarium Manager. Lloyd also works on various projects with local fishers to reduce the amount of plastic that enters our seas. Lloyd has a BSc in Marine Biology and is currently working on improving his dive qualifications.
Being around the sea so much has unfortunately allowed him to notice the increase in marine plastic pollution so has made it his mission to clean up the Pembrokeshire coast with Surfers Against Sewage organising beach cleans all year round. If he isn’t on the shore looking for our local wildlife he is in the sea surfing or diving with it!
Anna Webberley
Marine Conservation & Education Officer
Anna joined Sea Trust in February 2024, and works with schools and the Marine Biology Club to help with public education and outreach. She also helps with the citizen science marine wildlife surveys. Anna has a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences with a Professional Training Year from Cardiff University.
Anna loves walking the Pembrokeshire coast path, bird watching and exploring local beaches and rock pools.
Tiger Sturdgess
Seasonal Aquarium Host
Tiger joined us as a volunteer at the start of 2024 and works seasonally as our Aquarium Host, keeping a close eye on our tanks and animals as well as running our daily tours. Her lifelong love of the oceans comes from a childhood spent sailing around the
Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. When not hidden in the depths of the Aquarium, Tiger can be found reading in her garden or under the sea SCUBA Diving.
Sam Cox
Charity Administrator
Sam joined the Sea Trust in February 2024 and works part-time providing admin support for the Sea Trust team.
Sam has a background in fundraising agencies (direct mail, telephone & face-to-face) where she has worked alongside some of thetop UK charities.
She enjoys yoga and Somatic movement and regularly walks the coast path and ‘dips’ in the sea.
Friederike Schmidt
Finance Manager
Friederike joined Sea Trust in August 2023.
She works part-time as our Finance Manager and has transformed Sea Trust’s finances!
Friederike swims, walks and grows food in her spare time and loves being part of the local community in Fishguard & Goodwick.
Interns
Abbie McKnight
Marine Conservation Intern
Abbie joined Sea Trust in September 2025 and will be here until the end of June 2026, before returning to Belfast to complete her degree in Marine Biology.
Abbie will be involved with the current ongoing Porpoise ID Project along with aquarium maintenance and the Marine Biology Club.
In her spare time Abbie can be found outside, swimming in the sea, walking along the coastal path or running by the beach.
Goncalo Vedor
Marine Conservation Intern
Goncalo joined Sea Trust in September 2025 and will be here until June 2026, before returning to Swansea University to complete his degree in Marine Biology.
From a young age, Goncalo has always had a special interest in cetaceans and their way of life, which has inspired him to pursue work around that field. During his placement, Goncalo will be assisting with porpoise surveys, aquarium maintenance, as well as participating in the Recycle Môr Project.
In his spare time Goncalo likes going to the gym, paddle boarding, watching documentaries and go for hikes along coastal paths.
Emily Fowler
Marine Conservation Intern
Emily joined Sea Trust in September 2025, after graduating from the University of Aberdeen, and will be here until the end of June 2026.
With previous experience working in cetacean conservation, Emily hopes to expand her knowledge through surveys and the Harbour Porpoise ID Project. She’s looking forward to learning more about animals native to the Welsh coasts through her time in the Aquarium.
In her free time, Emily can be found with her kitten Noire, playing netball or spending time anywhere near water.
Ruth Clarke
Marine Conservation Intern
Ruth joined Sea Trust in September 2025 and will be here until March 2026, before returning to Bangor to complete her Masters in paleo-oceanography.
Ruth has always been passionate about our oceans and their conservation, and will be working with the species in our aquarium to understand their physiology and ecology better. Ruth will also be involved with education and outreach through social media, marine biology club and newsletters.
In her free time Ruth loves ocean swimming, long hikes and running along the coastal path.
Rose Dawson
Marine Conservation Intern
Rose joined Sea Trust in September 2025 and will be with us until the end of June 2026, before returning to Durham University to complete her undergraduate degree in BSc Geography.
Rose has always had a fascination for nature, and after having some up-close encounters with marine mammals in the wild, she has discovered a passion for marine conservation and law. During her time with us, Rose will be involved in marine biology club as part of our education outreach initiative, fundraising, working in the aquarium and investigating local marine policy.
In her free time, Rose loves to play football, walks with her dog, and spending time with friends and family.
Many thanks to all our previous interns. Sea Trust would not be possible without all your hard work. There are too many names to mention everyone but special thanks to all of our hard-working and dedicated interns!
Trustees
Frances Eggby
Chair Trustee
Fran was born in Pembrokeshire but grew up in Oxfordshire and returned to Pembrokeshire in 1999.
Fran joined Sea Trust in 2018 as a volunteer and has been a Trustee since 2020. Prior to that, Fran worked in the NHS, in Mental Health, as a Nurse and a Therapist for over 25 years.
Fran enjoys walking, yoga, birdwatching and spending time in nature.
Cerian Goodbourn
Trustee & Gift Shop Coordinator
Cerian has volunteered at Sea Trust since March 2020 and looks after our amazing shop, keeping it well stocked with interesting and beautiful gifts. Cerian also works on the Front Desk, helping with visitor enquiries and booking the various Sea Trust activities.
Cerian moved to Pembrokeshire 6 years ago from Cardiff, where she had previously been the HR Manager for National Museum Wales in Cardiff for over 25 years.
Cerian loves walking on the Pembrokeshire Coast and is interested in mid-20th century furniture.
Captain Anthony (Tony) Lucas
Trustee
Tony an ex-Ships Master for Stena Line, has been a great supporter for Sea Trust with his wife Delyth and son “Stevo”, since its inception back in 2003. He was an abvious choice as a Trustee when Sea Trust became a charity. An incredibly modest man, he has a wonderful “can-do” sttitude, always ready to hold out a helping hand. Well-known and respected within the community, Tony is a fount of useful local knowledge, which is a real asset to Sea Trust as a community-based organisation!
Gill Price
Trustee (Secretary) & Visitor Centre Volunteer
Gill has been a volunteer at Sea Trust since October 2024 and become a trustee in March 2025. She enjoys working the Front Desk, helping with enquiries, the shop and Aquarium bookings. Gill has a background in education and was a teacher in a local primary school for 24 years. She enjoys pilates, reading and walking the coastal path.
We have a talented and knowledgeable team of seven Trustees.
Founder
Cliff Benson
Founder
Cliff is a naturalist and conservationist, involved in aquatic conservation since he was a founder member of WAYD (the Wildlife Association of the Yorkshire Derwent). The group was concerned with protecting the River Derwent in his native Yorkshire from canalisation in the 1970’s. It was during this period he started his long association with local Wildlife Trusts.
He moved to West Wales in 1978 as a partner in Cambrian Bird Holidays helping to establish one of the UK’s first Eco Tourism enterprises. circumstances took him away from Wales but spent several Springs in protecting Red Kite Nests in Mid Wales volunteering with the Tregaron Community Kite Group. It was at this time he first met Iolo Williams, (now a good friend and honorary President of Sea Trust). He returned with his partner Frederike, shortly afterwards he was involved in organising a team of volunteers rescuing oiled sea birds during The Sea Empress Oil Disaster.
Consequently, Cliff began to realise our local Pembrokeshire Marine wildlife was under-recorded and set up Sea Trust as the marine section of the Wildlife Trust. In 2013 Sea Trust took over the management of the Ocean Lab on Fishguard Harbour which necessitated leaving the Wildlife Trust and setting up Sea Trust as a not for profit Community Interest Company, operating as financially independent autonomous community project.
When asked what he most enjoys about his work he answers:
I guess it’s finding out about and raising awareness of the incredible but poorly understood wildlife here in Pembrokeshire, literally on our doorstep. From great whales to our enigmatic little porpoises, I just love it when someone sees a Whale, dolphin or a porpoise for the first time with us”
Volunteers
Sea Trust’s volunteers make all our work possible, and we are extremely proud of their dedication to the Sea Trust’s work and vision.
There are too many to mention by name, but we would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of you for continually donating your time and hard work to us over the years.
Alumni
Nicole Murray
Alumni
In 2023, I was lucky enough to spend my placement year with Sea Trust Wales during my undergraduate degree at Swansea University. I got to try a bit of everything – working hands-on in the aquarium, doing porpoise surveys, and helping out with the Marine Biology Club. One of my favourite parts was restarting the Grey Seal Photo-ID project, which was the first time I really got to take the lead on something. After my year with Sea Trust, I went back to finish my degree, graduated with a First, and then moved to Plymouth to start my Master’s in Marine Biology with the University of Plymouth and the Marine Biological Association. For the master’s, we had to interview with different supervisors to get a research project, and all the experience I’d picked up during my internship really helped. It made interviews so much easier because I had real examples and fieldwork stories to talk about. I ended up getting a project that involved six months of vantage point surveys – something Sea Trust had definitely prepared me for. I’ve now finished my master’s and recently started my first job as a Graduate Consultant at Intertek Metoc. I am truly thankful to the whole team for my year with them – doing my internship with Sea Trust was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and it really set me up for everything I’m doing now.
Anna Elliot
Alumni
“I spent seven years working at Sea Trust from 2016 to 2023. This was during a period of major change as it developed from a small CIC into a registered charity with a growing team of paid staff and volunteers. My background was originally in terrestrial ecology but I always had a love for the sea having grown up in Pembrokeshire. After living away for years, I moved back to my home town of Goodwick with my young children and I studied an MSc in Environmental Biology: Conservation and Resource Management at Swansea University where I focused on marine biology. After graduating, I was delighted to secure a position at Sea Trust which was in walking distance from home and with a spectacular office sea view. I learnt so much during my time at Sea Trust, not only about the marine environment but also about people management, environmental education and most importantly for me, how to develop projects and apply for funding. This skillset led me to go on and work for Pembrokeshire Coast National Park as their Funding Officer and then to my current role as the MARINE Fund Cymru Development Manager with WCVA and Welsh Government. I am currently developing a new fund to support projects that enhance the resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems in Wales. I enjoy playing a part in making conservation projects happen and the experience I gained during my time at Sea Trust still influences the work I do today. I’m proud to have worked for such a great organisation and hope to continue supporting Sea Trust in the years ahead.”
Hannah Harries
Alumni
In 2012, having graduated from university with a degree in marine biology, I was struggling to find a job. No one would hire me with little experience and all the ‘volunteering’ opportunities I saw cost thousands of pounds (which I did not have spare having just graduated). That was when I got back in touch with Cliff, having done a week of work experience with Sea Trust when I was in school. I started volunteering regularly and when I asked Cliff if he’d employ me full time, he said ‘sure, find some funding and we can’. So, that’s what we did! I spent the next three years working on various projects from the development of our aquarium to our annual ‘Dolphinathons’. I left Sea Trust with itchy feet, wanting to see the world. There’s no doubt that without my time at Sea Trust I would not have had the opportunities that came my way afterwards. I have spent the last 10 years working in the Indian Ocean on coral restoration projects, community outreach initiatives and marine education programmes. Working in such a small team at Sea Trust offered me the opportunity to wear many hats and gain a huge range of experience, which has no doubt aided me in securing work and then working in those roles. I’m extremely grateful to Cliff and continue to be immensely proud of all the things Sea Trust accomplishes.