Oil4Wales has secured a £350,000 loan to refurbish and extend a former Texaco filling station at Nantycaws A48 near Carmarthen.

Nantycaws Filling Station is on the eastbound carriageway of the main route from west Wales to Cardiff and Newport, and Oil4Wales founder and managing director Colin Owens believes it has great potential to attract travellers.

He said: “The garage has had no investment in it in for over 20 years. The location with the view over the Black Mountain range cries out for investment to attract more tourists and locals if we can provide the services, such as a cafeteria and a tourist shop, all stocked with Welsh produce.”

The loan from the Development Bank of Wales will pay for the refurbishment of the former Texaco filling station as well as the conversion and enlargement of the present shop into a new tourist shop and café.

Owens added: “There’s an opportunity we believe for Welsh produce to be marketed well and to be an attraction to tourists. We have some of the best countryside and beaches in Europe, and we’ve got great publicity now with events in Cardiff and everything else that’s going on. We are becoming a great tourist location.”

Owens thanked the Development Bank of Wales for supporting the investment, and said: “I was so impressed with the Development Bank Investment Executive, he was so easy to communicate with, he understood what we were trying to achieve with the garage and the location.”

Development Bank of Wales investment executive Richard Easton said: “The Development Bank of Wales are delighted to support Oil4Wales with their proposed plans to refurbish and extend Nantycaws Filling Station.

“Oil4Wales is a fantastic business and we share the same passion for Wales and support of Welsh businesses and communities.

“It has been a pleasure working with Colin and Sally Owens and the team at Oil 4 Wales and we look forward to working closely with them in the future.

“I would also like to thank Clay Shaw Butler Accountants for their excellent support.”

Mark Jones, director at Clay Shaw Butler, said: “We were delighted to carry out the work on behalf of our clients at Oil4Wales to bring this deal with the Development Bank of Wales to fruition.

“It’s great that we have been able to help Oil4Wales in their ambitions to deliver a key project in West Wales and we wish them all the best for future business success.”

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