When workers turned up at an old church ready to breathe new life into it, they found a quite disgusting sight.
A thick blanket of pigeon poo covered the pews where decades of worshippers once prayed.
With the congregation long gone from St David's Church in Carmarthen , the seats had become the toilets for legions of birds which made the former church their home for more than a decade.
St David's was closed in 2003 after storm damage, and was sold in 2011 for just £1 .
In the intervening years the roof came close to collapse and the walls had to be shored up to prevent them from falling in.
Missing roof tiles meant pigeons and crows replaced parishioners in the church, built in 1835.
So when the workers opened the church door they were greeted with bird carcasses, years of feathers, and a stench of rotting muck.
As they carry out their work they have to wear special masks and protective clothing, as the bird mess - or guano - can cause infectious diseases.
Helena Williams, with husband John, wants to transform the Grade II listed church into a climbing venue.
But it's not the first time the pair behind Tenby's Overhang Climbing Centre have tried to breathe new life into the former Anglican parish church.
When it was originally bought for £1 in 2014, then owner Aaron Hill negotiated allowing the building to be used for a climbing centre.
John and Helena started crowdfunding, and raised £30,000 towards the project. But the plans didn't come to fruition, and the pair were forced to pay back all the investment cash.
Now, under new owner John Trowbridge from Burry Port, the church's revival is once again in full flow.
Helena, who lives in Llanfyrnach in Pembrokeshire, said it was quite a sight when the team hoping to create the centre first walked through the church doors.
She said: "When the roof fell in and parts of the wall fell in it became open to the elements.
"Even though it was repaired, some of the slates had gone off the roof.
"We walked into the building with the new owner and it was full of pigeons and crows.
"It wasn't a shock, because we had been in there before, but within the two years since we last saw it nothing had been touched.
"All the scaffolding was still there, and there was more poo and more pigeons."
The pair, and occasional volunteers, need to take care not to breathe in dust or water droplets containing contaminated bird droppings.
It can lead to several diseases including psittacosis, a rare infectious flu-like disease, and salmonella.
But Helena is not put off.
"It depends if you're squeamish", she said. "It was a bit of a mess. It certainly isn't a pretty sight.
"Pigeon poo can be quite dangerous."
Inside the church the worst of the bird mess has now been cleared, but piles of debris and rubbish still fill the old public areas.
While the beautiful stained glass windows hint at the church's glorious past, the organised chaos tells of the huge task ahead.
Helena hopes, if planning permission is granted, the new climbing centre in Picton Terrace could be open by February next year.
If approved, the Carmarthen venue will be much bigger than the centre they opened on Castle Beach in Tenby nearly five years ago.
The main wall would be around 14 metres in height. with another about 12 metres long and 14 metres tall, with a separate competitions wall.
But the team have vowed to keep the integrity of the building. The outside will remain the same and, if the company decides to quit the building the climbing area can be removed without affecting the heart of the church.
Helena said Carmarthen was a good choice for the expansion.
She said: "When we've been in Tenby we do get a few customers from Carmarthen. When you talk to people they said it would be lovely to have something in Carmarthen.
"Research in Carmarthen showed it seemed to be a good choice, with schools and colleges nearby, and it's ideal for the M4".
To follow the work being carried out, visit the team's Facebook page.
