Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

'ORCA', or Organisation Cetacea, is one of the UK's leading marine conservation charities.

The organisation has been recording data on the distribution and abundance of whales, dolphins and porpoises in UK and European waters for well over a decade and it has amassed a significant amount of information during that time.

Our data has been used by the UK and Scottish Governments to identify important marine areas for whales, dolphins and porpoises in order to set up Marine Protection Areas (MPA's) around the coastline of the UK.

ORCA is also at the forefront of educating the public about the conservation of our marine eco-systems, creating safe places for the whales dolphins and porpoises to live.

The charity runs very successful public outreach projects in the North East of England and in Portsmouth in the South.

ORCA also has wildlife officer placements on passenger ferries sailing to Spain and Holland.

During the summer months each year a number of trained and dedicated ORCA marine mammals survey volunteers spend countless hours travelling hundreds of miles of open ocean gathering data on the distribution of cetaceans from vessels of opportunity such as car and passenger ferries and cruise ships which ply European and even Arctic waters and the Eastern seaboard of Canada.

Up to the present our survey teams have been painstakingly recording the data on paper recording forms.

For a couple of years now the charity has been advancing and developing our survey techniques in line with 21st century technology. We are therefore pleased to announce that an electronic data recording system is in the development process and ocean going trials have been successful which have proved its effectiveness. It is likely that in the foreseeable future the data logger will be adopted by the survey teams on all of our survey routes. Of course such technology comes at a price and each logger will cost in the region of £700 to purchase. The charity will require eight such loggers in total in order to cover all of our survey routes.

I have been a regular ORCA marine mammal surveyor for a few years now and I am a survey team leader. I am also a volunteer wildlife guide on our very popular 'whale and dolphin mini-cruises' across the Bay of Biscay on the Brittany Ferries flagship the 'Pont Aven'. I am presently a serving trustee of the charity.

I am passionate about conserving the bio-diversity of our oceans for the benefit of man and wildlife.

The board of trustees of ORCA have enthusiastically taken up the challenge to raise funds to acquire one or more of the data 'loggers. I have therefore vowed to do my bit to raise the necessary funds and I have decided that one of my tasks will be to walk a designated length of the spectacular Pembrokeshire Coast Path in West Wales. This is an area of Wales which is very dear to my heart and which I know well. It boasts a rugged but serene beauty and is rich in wildlife.

I am hoping to undertake this challenge in October 2016. I will be walking a 67 mile section of the path from St; Dogmaels in North Pembrokeshire and ending the walk at St; David's which lays claim to being the smallest 'city' in Britain. 

I will finally visit the majestic cathedral in St; Davids which will mark my journeys end and there I will say a blessing to all those who have supported me on my long trek.

Some sections of the coast path are rugged and challenging. Along the route I'm hoping to see coastal wildlife including dolphins and porpoise. The autumn is a good time to observe Atlantic grey seal pups on secluded beaches and coves. I should see Chough, Peregrine Falcon and ravens too.

I am asking you for your support. Please donate as little or as much as you can to help me achieve my goal to raise the £700 necessary in order to purchase one of the data loggers for the use of our survey teams.

I would be extremely grateful to you for your support. Every little helps and I can assure you that your generosity will make the job of our surveyors much easier and of course reduce the amount of paper and consequently printing ink we use in producing the current marine mammal survey documentation.

Thank you.

Diolch yn Fawr.

Elfyn Pugh