This Saint David’s Day, National Trust Wales will be asking people to help them by following St David’s footsteps and doing the little things to help preserve a historic landscape.

The conservation charity is asking for public help to secure the future of its Welsh Mountain Ponies, which in turn will help healthier conservation grazing of the area and the Trust’s most popular walk in Pembrokeshire.

Every year tens of thousands of visitors walk the St. David’s Head Coastal Walk. Set within the boundaries of Saint David’s original monastery, the six-kilometre route with amazing vistas is one Wales’s patron saint would have very likely walked on many occasions.

Currently 28 Welsh Mountain Ponies graze across 15 different locations in North Pembrokeshire but the charity needs to increase the herd to support their conservation grazing scheme and secure a stronger future for heathland and habitat in the area.

Welsh Mountain Ponies play an integral part in the preservation of the stunning walk and landscape through grazing the heathland. The heathland is a vital habitat for a wealth of species including ground-nesting birds, small mammals, lizards, insects and seabirds, as well as plants like cuckoo flower, sea campion and dog violet.

Without regular grazing by the ponies, the heathland would start to degrade putting these species at risk. The ponies are vital to creating a richer, healthier heathland and supporting the area’s other wildlife.

On St David’s Day, the Trust’s team of rangers and volunteers will be on-site with Welsh cakes as a patriotic treat for supporters on the day. Visitors can help the Trust reach its £2,000 fundraising target by supporting the campaign at the National Trust shop and at points of special interest along the walk.

Harnessing the spirit of Saint David, who encouraged his followers to “do the little things” to make a bigger difference, any donations raised for the Welsh cakes along the way will go back into local conservation.

Justin Albert, National Trust Director for Wales said: “The Saint David’s Head Coastal Walk welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every year. Our rangers work hard to make sure this beautiful and historically significant area is kept in the very best condition for visitors to enjoy. Grazers like the ponies are the heathland’s natural caretakers.

“St David himself encouraged his followers to ‘do the little things’ and by coming to St David’s Head on the day of our Welsh patron saint, visitors can do something small to make a big difference to the preservation of this area – and receive a Welsh cake as a thank you.”

Shuttle buses will be running from the National Trust Wales shop to the coastal path every half an hour from 10.15am to 3.45pm. Anyone unable to visit will be able to donate to the campaign can text PONY to 70123 to donate £3 to secure the future of the National Trust’s Welsh Mountain Ponies in Pembrokeshire.