Holiday letting company, Coastal Cottages, has been asking visitors to give something back to the county this season and the first of three charities benefited recently.

This season every customer renting a holiday home from the company based in Haverfordwest was asked to donate £2 for environmental causes, with more than £10,000 collected.

Coastal Cottages director Matthew Evans presented cheques for £2,000 to Neptune’s Army of Rubbish Cleaners (NARC), Pembrokeshire River Trust and Pembrokeshire Outdoor Charter and Marine Code.

Matthew said: “This is the first time we have done it. The fund has to be for hands-on projects. Finding the right groups has been the hardest thing.

“It is not a lot to ask, little by little it all adds up. It’s a way of making Pembrokeshire better than when you found it.”

The Pembrokeshire Rivers Trust’s windfall will be match funded by the Environment Agency Wales, as part of its Wild Fishing Wales project.

The trust now has £20,000 to improve the Eastern Cleddau near Trewynt Farm, Bethesda and open it up to public fishing.

Tom Luddington said the donation to the outdoor charter and marine code will be used to maintain areas often used by adventure tourists.

“The money allows us to carry on environmental training for instructors, skippers and crew to raise awareness of the environment and get them on board to help protect it,” said Tom.

NARC diver, David Kennard said the group was delighted to received the donation which will help the group continue its clean-up of the county’s water ways.

“We usually spend £3,000 to £4,000 a year to keep the group going, to have a donation like this is fantastic,” said David.

Coastal Cottages will continue the scheme and is looking for more groups to help, especially disability projects, seal projects, beach clean-ups, educational programmes and coastal environment research projects.

E-mail julia@coastal cottages.co.uk for more information.