A squadron of volunteers have recently enhanced the Freshwater East Local Nature Reserve by helping to complete the extension of the boardwalk in a day.

With the help of the Army and local group FERN (Freshwater East Reserve for Nature), Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority staff have completed improvements to extend a boardwalk into reed beds at Freshwater East Local Nature Reserve.

National Park ranger Haydn Garlick, who co-ordinated the project, said: "The reed beds are an important feature of the Freshwater East Burrows, the only Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in the National Park.

"The boardwalk is level and wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and enables people of all abilities to get right into the heart of the nature reserve to watch the wildlife."

The boardwalk was prefabricated in sections by volunteers of FERN, who worked with the National Park Authority to set up and look after the LNR.

Twenty-five service men and women from the Support Squadron at Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy, carried in and constructed the boardwalk in a day, to provide an additional 100 metres of path.

Ranger Haydn added: "To complete this task in a day was a real mission and we are very grateful to the Army personnel for their help."

The decking and timber bearers were paid for by the Welsh Government's Rights of Way Improvement Plan funding programme.

The Freshwater East LNR was designated in 2007 and features sand dunes, grassland, scrub, woodland and marshland. It is a varied and special place that is home to scores of species which thrive alongside each other, including slow worms, glow worms, adders and rabbits (which gave The Burrows its name).

The spot is also a haven for birds, including winter visitors such as snipe and water rail and acrobatic flocks of starling.

The first part of the boardwalk was opened in 2011.