To mark Pembroke refinery's long history of support for one of Pembrokeshire's most celebrated conservation sites - Skokholm Island - a group of Valero employees recently spent a day visiting the island.

Situated south of Skomer in the Irish Sea and 2.5 miles off the coast of south-west Pembrokeshire, the island has recently been purchased by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, which aims to restore the island back to a bird observatory.

The island was originally set up as a bird observatory in the 1950s and the trust has recently opened it to volunteers and representatives of companies who are helping to fund its restoration, which will repair and refurbish the buildings back to being habitable. The newly refurbished buildings benefit from electricity from solar panels paid for by Valero.

Valero has also provided funds to obtain Heligoland traps for the systematic recording and ringing of birds on Skokholm. This equipment allows hourly catching and recording standards to be maintained and updated, giving a vital insight into the island's diverse bird life and their sustainability.

Dean Maiden, a laboratory manager at the Valero refinery, said: "These projects are part of a longstanding relationship with Pembroke refinery, which has sustained the conservation work on this island.

"It was a lovely day out seeing both the good work completed by volunteers, supported by industry in the area, and also the full beauty of this jewel of an island. It is hoped that day trips to the island will be re-established in 2013 after the restoration work is complete. It is well worth a visit."

At its longest, the island is one mile and 0.5 mile across, the Site of Special Scientific Interest is considered to contain the largest breeding population of Manx shearwaters in the UK and a significant population of the UK's breeding storm petrels.