SKOMER Island's transformation into a complete visitor experience is beginning to take shape as building work gets fully under way.

Since April, ten builders have made Skomer Island their home and are on target to complete phase one of the development by November.

Skomer is one of the world's most important conservation sites and the project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Countryside Council for Wales and The Tubney Trust, aims to enhance the visitor experience by refurbishing facilities such as accommodation and education centres.

Improved information and interpretation will be made available to help people understand the rich heritage of the island, which includes internationally-important seabird colonies and a cultural legacy dating back to the Iron Age.

Once the project is completed an estimated 20,000 people are expected to visit the island each year.

So far the construction team has carried out extensive restoration work to the 150-year-old farmhouse outbuildings and the next phase will be to demolish the warden's accommodation and create a new visitor management base.

This will include space for the island's reference library and archives, and a laboratory and study rooms for the many researchers who visit Skomer.

For those unable to visit in person a remote camera system will be installed to enable the public to follow the lives of the wildlife from the mainland.