A flagship crafts centre is to be developed in Carmarthenshire, thanks to a cash windfall.
A £431,459 project to redevelop the St. Clears centre for crafts and create a regional hub for the industry is to get underway.
The scheme will involve creating new workshops, public studio and computer rooms, incubator units and office space at the Pentre Road site.
A revitalised gallery, craft retail area and café selling local produce will also be developed.
The aim is to provide a platform for local artists and craft makers to showcase their products.
It will also encourage start-ups in the creative industries - the fastest growing sector in the Welsh economy.
The centre will play a key role in nurturing, celebrating and developing the culture of Carmarthenshire and the surrounding region.
It will provide studio space and workshops for artists and craftspeople and links will be forged with schools to encourage more people to take up a career in the sector.
Carmarthenshire County Council's West Wales European Centre has just secured £345,167 in European funding for the scheme.
It is part of a £7 million package of schemes across the county to have received Rural Development Plan grants.
The programme is aimed at supporting the regeneration of rural areas, and is worth around £800 million to Wales up until 2013.
The county council will fund the remainder of the project.
Workshops and taster courses will be staged at the centre, along with a programme of exhibitions, craft markets, events, talks and other activities.
Conversion work is due to start in the new year and if all goes well, the centre will open for business by next summer.
It will complement a family of arts and crafts venues in west Carmarthenshire, including Dylan Thomas' Boat House, Pendine Museum of Speed, the Hywel Dda Gardens, Glyn Coch Studios and the Oriel Myrddin and King Street galleries in Carmarthen.
Carmarthenshire's regeneration executive board member Clr. Clive Scourfield said: "We are delighted with this funding for the Centre for Crafts.
"It will provide direct support to businesses in the creative and cultural sector and create an environment that will encourage entrepreneurship.
"The project will also act as a flagship for arts and culture in West Wales and act as a catalyst for further regeneration in this area."