You might remember that The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ (WTSWW) ‘Sustainable and Resilient Skomer and Skokholm Islands’ project received funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) back in 2024.

This May we were awarded a further £140,000 to continue works on Skomer and Skokholm islands in 2025. This additional funding allowed us to implement many of the expert recommendations and measures for further improvements identified during the 2024 project.

The Sustainable and Resilient Skomer and Skokholm Islands Projects were focused on activities that protect their heritage, reduce fossil fuel use, improve sustainable energy resources and improve accessibility and comfort for visitors, volunteers, researchers and Trust staff. Much of the infrastructure that needed repair or replacement on the islands has been in place since 2005, so the Trust is very grateful to Pembrokeshire Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for supporting this project again this year.

It has been a huge team effort to deliver the island projects in just one short season, which ends abruptly each year when the weather turns and autumn gales make accessing the islands increasingly difficult. We were frustratingly close to finishing the project in October, but a succession of storms had other ideas. The last Skomer job to install new doors in North Haven was finally finished by the contractor team on 17 November in a short 48 hour weather window. The island staff team moved to the mainland for the winter that same day.

Projects on Skokholm this year focused on replacing some of the old, rotten and warped doors and windows in both the lighthouse and at the Bird Observatory. We also sourced and delivered plastic lumber and eco-ply materials ready for the construction of a new hide and boardwalk at the well in 2026.

Over on Skomer there was a similar theme, replacing leaky, drafty old doors on the hostel building and at the research quarters in North Haven. Skomer also benefited from a further 10 solar panels in the garden, increasing our solar capture capacity, supplying electricity to the hostel and volunteer accommodation. We also replaced the very old back-up generator with a new, more efficient model, so on those rare occasions when the sun fails to shine for long periods, a reliable generator will kick-in to meet demand. We also installed skylights in the Visitor Officer and Seabird fieldworker accommodation, transforming their living space.

Skomer Island Visitor Officer, Rob Knott said:

“The staff accommodation at the Farm has traditionally been rather gloomy, particularly at the start and end of the season when the nights draw in fast. The new skylights have completely transformed the accommodation. There is no doubt that the increased light levels have elevated staff wellbeing and helped to make it a far more private and comfortable space”.

Lisa Morgan, Head of Islands and Marine at WTSWW said,

"It is crucial that we future-proof the buildings and infrastructure on Skomer and Skokholm, make best use of alternative energy sources and work towards the achievement of Net Zero by 2030. Working with sympathetic local contractors who understand the fragile island environments and the Strategic Funding Team at Pembrokeshire County Council has allowed us to make our ambitious plans a reality over the last two seasons”.

This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.