There was a signal of success from Angle's Chapel Bay Fort and Museum this week as it welcomed many visitors over the Easter holiday.

The Victorian coast artillery fort opened to the public for the first time after years of painstaking restoration by the Chapel Bay Fort registered charity and volunteers, with occasional help from the Royal Engineers and local TA units.

But the fort is in urgent need of more volunteers to help with its operation and maintenance and to give guided tours. Training will be given.

A meeting for anyone interested in volunteering will be held at the fort on Sunday, April 19, at 5 pm. You can also contact 07437 568654 or email [email protected]">[email protected]

The first visitors to the fort when it opened on Good Friday were Samantha and Jonathan Warr and their nine-year-old son Barnaby from Cambridge.

Mr. and Mrs. Warr had been waiting for many years to see it restored and open to the public, having previously visited the fort when it was derelict.

Their appetites were whetted when they watched the BBC's 'Coast' programme and saw historian Neil Oliver touring the site with the fort's operations directors George Geear.

"It's fabulous to see what it has become today from its previous dereliction and wonderful to see this history available to the public," they said. Son Barnaby thought the whole experience was 'great,' as the family and other visitors toured the fort with guide George Geear, who brought its past to life with wonderful anecdotes.

The fort will be open today (Friday), and this Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Visitors are reminded that, until the access road is completed in the summer, there is only pedestrian access to the fort, via the coast path from West Angle Bay.

To check on days of opening, visitors should contact the fort and museum by 'phone on 07437 568654, email [email protected]">[email protected] or visit the website at http://www.chapelbayfort.com">www.chapelbayfort.com.

Recent restoration, which has enabled the opening of the fort, was jointly funded by the Community Facilities and Activities Programme (Welsh Government) and Cadw's Heritage Tourism Project (part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government).