Today, at an official ceremony, a memorial for local Royal Marine, Paul Woodland, who died in a tragic training accident was unveiled at Penarth's remembrance garden.

Sian Woodland, the partner of the late marine, organised the unveiling which took place on what would have been Mr Woodland's 40th birthday.

There was a large turnout, with members of the armed forces as well as families of fallen heroes showing their support alongside local MPs, Mayors, family members and friends.

£17,000 was raised to construct the striking memorial which was made as Mr. Woodland's name was unable to appear on the Cenotaph because he had not died in action.

However, the Vale council did pledge £7,500 to the appeal and space in the Garden of Remembrance, where the memorial has been placed.

Ms Woodland gave a moving speech at the service about the journey to this moment.

She said: ''I would like to firstly say thank you to each and every one of you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today.

''We chose this date as it would have been the day of Paul's 40th birthday.

''Today is a day we never thought would happen. We have fought tirelessly to have Paul remembered in his community and we have finally done it.

''Nine years of serving his country, tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, peace-keeping in Sierra Leone, to be tragically killed in a boating accident in the UK.

''We were crushed as a family, we had to rebuild our lives and find a sense of purpose and keep Paul's light shining.

''Paul was a special man and he along with all our fallen heroes deserve to be remembered every single day.''

Ms Woodland thanked all of those involved in raising the money for the memorial.

She then took a moment to note the work of Stone Mason Martin, of Sculptural Design in Swansea, for creating the finished product. She said ''He took our vision and made it a reality''.

To the families and friends of fallen heroes and those currently, Sian said: ''This memorial is for you.''

Paul Woodland passed away in 2012 after a boating accident whilst training with the Royal Marines.