A pair of wildlife conservationists will set out on a fundraising challenge along the Ceredigion coast on Thursday.

Joe Wilkins, 26, and Maddy De Marchis, 24, are taking on a hiking challenge along the Wales Coast Path to raise money for the marine wildlife of Cardigan Bay.

The pair will be walking 60 miles along the coast of Ceredigion in 60 hours, from Cardigan to Ynyslas, beginning on the morning of Thursday 15 May.

They are raising funds to support the work of two marine conservation charities: Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC), which is The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’s marine hub, working to protect wildlife in Cardigan Bay through research and education, along with British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) which rescues marine animals in distress around UK's coastlines.

Challenge
The pair will start their challenge on Thursday (Supplied)

Maddy De Marchis, a wildlife conservationist and science communicator based in West Wales, says: 'It's certainly a big challenge, but the cause makes it all worth it! I'm excited to set off and do what we can to raise awareness and money for two incredible charities.’

Cardigan Bay is a hotspot for marine wildlife, one of two places in the UK home to semi-resident populations of bottlenose dolphins, a focus of CBMWC’s research. The region is also important for Atlantic grey seals, which have their pups in Autumn in the coastline’s numerous sheltered bays, as well as seabirds that feature on the UK Red List for threatened species (making them species most in need of conservation), including great black-backed gulls, kittiwakes and herring gulls.

Joe Wilkins, an ecologist and nature campaigner from Aberystwyth, says: ‘Having grown up on the coast of Cardigan Bay, this coastline and its incredible wildlife have always had a special place in my heart, so I’m really excited to be doing something to help play my part in its protection’.

The pair of wildlife enthusiasts are trained BDMLR Marine Mammal Medics and volunteers at CBMWC. They are keen to raise funds for critical equipment to allow medics to rescue more animals in danger and distress, as well as supporting The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales to continue its important marine conservation work.

Maddy De Marchis says: 'We’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated so far, we’re incredibly grateful for all the support. And to those who haven’t already, please consider donating to this very worthy cause or spreading the word!’

Link to their fundraising page can be found here: https://gvwhl.com/PYDII

Money raised will be split evenly between the two charities.