It has been another busy year for the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and a year in which I was fortunate enough to be re-elected as chairman.

At the turn of the year it was announced that the authority’s Youth Rangers had won the group category in the 2015 UK National Parks Volunteer Award, beating entries from the 14 other Parks to earn the accolade. This award was well-deserved and the scheme’s great work will continue in 2017 with new members having been recruited in the last few weeks.

In March, the authority was very privileged to be able to bring one of the great masterpieces of British art to Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St. Davids as part of the Aspire project. John Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831 was the focal point of this amazing exhibition that also featured works by JMW Turner, including depictions of local landmarks such as St. David’s Bishop’s Palace and Carew Castle.

The exhibition was visited by more than 35,000 people over six months and over 10,000 people entered the gallery in August alone. The Aspire partnership also enabled many local school children to visit the display and benefit from education sessions related to the great works of art.

The authority’s year-long Footpath User Survey came to an end in July, with just under 3,000 people responding to the questionnaire. The results revealed that 95 per cent of respondents described the condition of the paths maintained by the authority as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’; while 88 per cent of people said their main reason for walking was to enjoy the natural landscape. These results will help to guide the authority in its work to improve the walking experience in the National Park.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers who support the work of the authority’s staff with many projects, including the creation of new and maintenance of existing paths, improving access and biodiversity so that more people can enjoy the unique landscape in the National Park.

There is no question that 2017 will also be another challenging year, with all public organisations having to tighten their budgets once again. The authority has been forced to make some difficult decisions in the past few years, but it is well placed to deal with these challenges and will continue to search for efficiency savings and will look to strengthen the joint-working relationships wherever possible.

As we bid farewell to 2016 and the Year of Adventure and welcome in 2017 and the Year of Legends, I encourage you to take the opportunity to discover more of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s rich culture and heritage and world-class landscape and find out what makes this place so special.

On behalf of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority - members and staff - may I thank those groups and individuals who have supported us in our work and may I wish all readers of the Observer a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.