Staff

Neil Gale - Manager
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Neil Gale set up the Trust in 2000 and oversaw the design and the construction of the butterfly house.

From an early age, he grew exotic plants as a hobby. After school, this interest took him to Asia where he spent ten months travelling around the wilderness areas of Borneo and Sumatera. It was here that the bird-sized swallowtails captured his interest in butterflies. He went on to visit many of the rain forest areas such as South America, West Africa and India. His field research meant that he could stay for months out in the forests.  He still manages yearly trips off to the rain forests doing small projects and keeping up to date with conservation on the ground.

After coming back from seven years' abroad, he worked briefly at the Countryside Council for Wales while he worked on the establishment of the butterfly house.

Neil read botany at University and has a Phd in Rain Forest Ecology.

Kathryn is the Assistant Manager and fronts the butterfly house, as the administrator and marketer for the Trust.  She  is a committed Conservationist with interests in all areas of the Natural World.  She has previously worked at Pili Palas Butterfly House in Anglesey as well as in the Treborth Botanic Gardens in Bangor.  She graduated from Bangor University in Marine Biology and Zoology with a first class Masters degree and moved to Aberystwyth in 2023.

​Max looks after all the insects and reef tanks as well as maintaining the displays and doing educational talks.  He loves all insects and specialises in exotic animal care.
​He has a Bachelors degree in Zoology. 

Mari is helping front the house as well as doing some marketing, interpretation and looking after the collections.

Chris Nash

Chris recently finished a four-year apprenticeship at the Magic of Life having volunteered for a year before that.  In the early days of the Trust, he used to come in after school.  He started breeding butterflies and other insects at the age of five.  A lynch-pin for the Trust, he turns his hand to building many of the new displays as well as taking on the practical jobs that are so important to run the butterfly house. 

Joe works on animal husbandry specialising on the insects and Arachnids.  He is also in charge of breeding programs for some of the Nymphalids such as Scarlet Anartia and Siproetas.  He has a degree in Marine Biology from the University of Aberystwyth.

Freya works part-time looking after the livestock and helping out in the reception.  She loves all plants and could name many of the corals we keep even before she started working for us.

Chris is in charge of the garden and display upkeep.  He puts a lot of time into the caterpillar breeding programs and general livestock care as well as helping with visitor welcome.