Meet the staff: Archie Taplin

Emma Chaplin
, 13 July 2025
Meet the staff: Archie Taplin
Archie Taplin © Victoria Barrell

Meet Archie Taplin, our new Trainee Community Engagement Officer

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m a wildlife conservationist with a passion for wild places and creative storytelling. My background includes a degree in wildlife conservation at Bristol UWE, working in Cornwall as a marine wildlife guide, habitat management and a side hustle of freelance animation for wildlife charities and running workshops. In my spare time, I love a good adventure, whether that’s snorkelling through kelp forests looking for marine life, or being tucked up in a bivvy bag under the stars listening to Tawny Owls.

Why were you interested in becoming a trainee?

I was drawn to this opportunity to apply my existing skills while learning new ones, gaining valuable training and insight into areas of conservation I’ve always wanted to explore. I’m driven by a desire to connect people with nature and to help biodiversity thrive. Through this role, I hope to gain the tools and confidence to push those goals forward. Overall, this traineeship is a great chance for me to grow.

What does the role involve?

As Trainee Community Engagement Officer, I’ll be helping to make The Deneway nature reserve more accessible and welcoming for the local community. I’ll also be supporting conservation work that improves biodiversity, all while undergoing formal training and working alongside different teams across the Trust. It’s a real mix of hands-on work, learning, and community engagement.

Tell us about your volunteering experience.

I volunteered with Avon Wildlife Trust while studying Wildlife Conservation at university. That experience showed me the importance getting local communities involved in conservation. I saw how the Trust brought people together and gave them the tools to engage with, link up and protect their local wild spaces. For many, it opened new opportunities to experience nature and boost their wellbeing in the process.

What are you looking forward to in this role?

I’m looking forward to increasing my knowledge and practical skills, working around the inspiring people who make up Sussex Wildlife Trust, and exploring the reserves and wildlife that inspires them.

What did you have for breakfast?

Usually, a hearty bowl of porridge will do the trick, however, I skipped breakfast today to check on the moth trap with Bob (Foreman) and Millie (Brand) from the Biodiversity Record Centre, it was well worth it (I didn’t eat any of the moths for breakfast, before you ask).

What’s your favourite wild place in Sussex and why?

Being new here, everywhere I explore becomes my new favourite spot. However, I have seen Otter tracks on the River Arun, and with my fascination for mustelids it’s a good contender.

What would make for a perfect Sunday afternoon?

A perfect Sunday afternoon would be spent being active, either down a river, in the sea or up a tree, oh, and having a chuckle with friends and family (didn’t mean that to rhyme).

Tell us something about yourself most people don’t know

Most people don’t know that I’m an animator. I’ve created animations and artworks for wildlife charities in many different styles. I often like to incorporate an element of nature, whether that’s using the sand on the beach or burning each frame onto planks of wood, it’s one of the more creative ways I like to connect myself and others to nature when I’m not out in it.

For more of Archie's animation work, see here 

Leave a comment
Time Δ Debug Message - Perch Runway 3.2
1782571470.93890 [906] SELECT p.pagePath, pr.routePattern, pr.routeRegExp, p.pageTemplate, pr.routeOrder, s.settingValue AS siteOffline FROM swt_pages_staging p LEFT JOIN swt_page_routes pr ON p.pageID=pr.pageID LEFT JOIN swt_settings s ON s.settingID='siteOffline' UNION SELECT NULL AS pagePath, pr2.routePattern, pr2.routeRegExp, pr2.templatePath AS pageTemplate, pr2.routeOrder, NULL AS siteOffline FROM swt_page_routes pr2 WHERE templateID!=0 ORDER BY routeOrder ASC, pagePath ASC
1782571470.96550.0266Matched route: news/[slug:s]
1782571470.96570.0002Server address: 216.73.216.31
1782571470.96570Using master page: /templates/pages/blog/post.php
1782571470.96570Page arguments: 
Array
(
    [0] => /news/meet-the-staff-archie-taplin
    [s] => meet-the-staff-archie-taplin
    [1] => meet-the-staff-archie-taplin
)
1782571470.96620.0004 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782571470.96730.0011 [86] SELECT DISTINCT settingID, settingValue FROM swt_settings WHERE userID=0
1782571470.96950.0022 [1] SELECT locationID FROM swt_shop_tax_locations WHERE locationIsHome=1 LIMIT 1
1782571470.97020.0007INSERT INTO swt_shop_cart(memberID,locationID,currencyID,cartPricing,cartProperties) VALUES(NULL,'1',47,'standard','[]')
1782571470.97230.0021 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_cart WHERE cartID=22352183
1782571470.97290.0006 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_cart WHERE cartID=22352183
1782571470.97360.0007 [nil] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_sales WHERE saleFrom<='2026-06-27 14:44:00' AND saleTo>'2026-06-27 14:44:00' AND saleActive=1 AND saleDeleted IS NULL ORDER BY saleOrder ASC
1782571470.97510.0015 [1] SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS DISTINCT tbl.* FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, main.*, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' JOIN swt_blog_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND idx2.indexKey='_id' WHERE 1=1 AND ((idx.indexKey='postSlug' AND idx.indexValue='meet-the-staff-archie-taplin')) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey=idx2.itemKey GROUP BY idx.itemID, idx2.indexValue, postID ) as tbl WHERE (postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-06-27 14:44:00' ) GROUP BY itemID, sortval ORDER BY sortval ASC LIMIT 0, 10
1782571470.9780.0029 [1] SELECT FOUND_ROWS() AS `count`
1782571470.97870.0007 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_posts WHERE postID=3740 AND postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-06-27 14:44:00'
1782571470.97970.001 [13] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_sections ORDER BY sectionTitle ASC
1782571470.98050.0008 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blogs ORDER BY blogTitle ASC
1782571470.98130.0007 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_categories WHERE catID=195 LIMIT 1
1782571470.98180.0005 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_categories WHERE catID=36 LIMIT 1
1782571470.98260.0008Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782571470.98280.0003 [162] SELECT catID, catPath FROM swt_categories
1782571470.98380.001 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_posts WHERE postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-06-27 14:44:00' AND postSlug='meet-the-staff-archie-taplin'
1782571471.00480.021Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782571471.00550.0007 [250] SELECT country, countryID FROM swt_shop_countries WHERE countryActive=1 ORDER BY country ASC
1782571471.00710.0016Using template: /templates/pages/attributes/seo.html
1782571471.00740.0003 [1] SELECT regionID, regionTemplate, regionPage, regionRev AS rev FROM swt_content_regions WHERE regionKey='Banner image' AND (regionPage='/news/post' OR regionPage='*')
1782571471.00820.0008 [nil] SELECT * FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, c.regionID, idx.pageID, c.itemJSON, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_content_index idx JOIN swt_content_items c ON idx.itemID=c.itemID AND idx.itemRev=c.itemRev AND idx.regionID=c.regionID JOIN swt_content_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev AND idx2.indexKey='_order' WHERE ((idx.regionID=104 AND idx.itemRev=0)) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev ) as tbl GROUP BY itemID, pageID, itemJSON, sortval, regionID ORDER BY sortval ASC
1782571471.00920.0011 [82] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageDepth >=0 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782571471.01230.003 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782571471.01280.0006 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782571471.0150.0021Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template.html
1782571471.0150 [6] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782571471.01580.0008 [4] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782571471.01630.0004 [29] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782571471.01860.0023 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782571471.01950.0009 [7] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782571471.02010.0006 [9] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782571471.02260.0024 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' OR pageSortPath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782571471.02340.0008 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageHidden=0 AND pageNew=0 AND pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition
1782571471.02540.002 [1] Using template: /templates/navigation/breadcrumbs.html
1782571471.02590.0006Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782571471.02630.0004 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_authors WHERE authorID='20' LIMIT 1
1782571471.0270.0007Using template: /templates/blog/author.html
1782571471.02740.0004 [1] SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS DISTINCT tbl.* FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, main.*, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' JOIN swt_blog_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND idx2.indexKey='_id' WHERE 1=1 AND ((idx.indexKey='postSlug' AND idx.indexValue='meet-the-staff-archie-taplin')) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey=idx2.itemKey GROUP BY idx.itemID, idx2.indexValue, postID ) as tbl WHERE (postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-06-27 14:44:00' ) GROUP BY itemID, sortval ORDER BY sortval ASC LIMIT 0, 1
1782571471.02960.0022 [1] SELECT FOUND_ROWS() AS `count`
1782571471.03010.0005 [1] Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782571471.03370.0036Using template: /templates/blog/comment_form.html
1782571471.03510.0014 [nil] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_comments WHERE 1=1 AND postID=3740 AND commentStatus='LIVE' ORDER BY FIELD(webmentionType, 'like', 'repost', 'comment', NULL) ASC, commentDateTime ASC
1782571471.08660.0515 [0] Using template: /templates/blog/comment.html
1782571471.08680.0002Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782571471.08710.0003 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_authors WHERE authorID='20' LIMIT 1
1782571471.08810.001 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/what-we-do' OR pageSortPath='/what-we-do' LIMIT 1
1782571471.08880.0007 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-002' LIMIT 1
1782571471.08930.0005 [7] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-002%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782571471.09150.0022 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782571471.09220.0006 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782571471.0940.0018 [6] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1782571471.09470.0007 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/make-a-difference' OR pageSortPath='/make-a-difference' LIMIT 1
1782571471.09530.0005 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-005' LIMIT 1
1782571471.09570.0004 [38] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-005%' ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782571471.09830.0026 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782571471.09890.0005 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782571471.10080.002 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1782571471.1040.0031 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit' OR pageSortPath='/visit' LIMIT 1
1782571471.10480.0008 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-004' LIMIT 1
1782571471.10540.0006 [30] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-004%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782571471.10770.0024 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782571471.10820.0005 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782571471.11020.002 [29] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1782571471.11220.002 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/make-a-difference' OR pageSortPath='/make-a-difference' LIMIT 1
1782571471.11280.0006 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-005' LIMIT 1
1782571471.11330.0005 [11] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-005%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782571471.11530.0021 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782571471.11580.0005 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782571471.11760.0018 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1782571471.11870.0011Request time: 0.1829
1782571471.11870Process time: 0.1827
1782571471.11870Memory: 1.6272