Stonemasons of the future are receiving invaluable training while helping to maintain the town walls in a historic Pembrokeshire town.

The first of two taster courses in heritage stonemasonry have taken place with ten construction students from Pembrokeshire College.

The courses form part of a project to develop a long-term management plan for the Pembroke Town Walls Trust. The project has received £117,038 from the UK government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.

The second course is set to take place in May with another group of Pembrokeshire college students.

The training courses were designed especially for the project by the Tywi Centre based in Llandeilo and were led by Oliver Coe of Coe Stone Ltd in Haverfordwest.

Arwyn Williams, head of faculty engineering, computing, construction, and higher education at the college said: “The learners have had a tremendous experience and the project has been a complete success.

“Oliver has done an exceptional job of engaging the learners and we should all be very proud of the last two weeks and months of planning. Thanks to the Pembroke Town Walls Trust for having the vision to set out the project.”

Pembrokeshire College is arranging for some of the students to undertake further work experience to restore the west wall of the Civil War gun platform along Pembroke’s north walls.