Pembrey beckons visitors to the area

Pembrey Airport's 350-metre runway extension work is now complete, offering a load-bearing weight of 60 tons and speedy access to Southwest Wales's top attractions – including a new multi-million pound equestrian centre.

Known for its beautiful coastline, the area is also home to Kidwelly Castle, Pembrey Motor Circuit, the Jack Nicklaus golf course and now to Ffos Las - the UK’s first dedicated equestrian training and sport centre, currently in its initial development phase.

Pembrey Airport hopes it will soon welcome both national and international enthusiasts and members of the horse racing fraternity.

Ffos Las, a 600-acre, multi-million pound amenity, will include a hotel, pub, restaurant and up to 250 homes. The new National Hunt racecourse – the first to be constructed for 80 years – already has 16 British Horse Racing Board meetings scheduled for 2009. And when the Queen arrives for the official opening next year, she will fly into Pembrey Airport – the only all-weather, 24-hour commercial facility for many miles around.

The appeal of these twin developments to Irish owners, trainers, riders, and punters is plain: convenient transport links to world-class equestrian facilities. Pembrey is only 25 miles from Cork, and within short-haul flying distance of every regional Irish airport. With bad weather frequently causing Irish Sea ferry cancellations, good air connections to race meetings are essential.

Captain Winston Thomas, Managing Director of Pembrey Airport, is hoping that the  entrepreneurial developments of Pembrey Airport and Ffos Las racecourse could help trigger economic growth in a region suffering high unemployment, lagging inward investment and limited opportunities for local people. He says, “Having the right infrastructure and the right funding are key to the success of every major project. The Irish understand this. Given the right support here in Wales, Pembrey Airport and Ffos Las could be the catalysts for a renaissance of this entire region.”

Gearing up for the expected increase in traffic at the privately-owned airport, the next phase of the runway project will see 12 inches of concrete and 2 inches of a wearing surface placed over the total length of 1200 metres.

Find out more about the facilities at http://www.pembreyairport.com/

Rebecca Burns