A Gwendraeth Valley tourism and education project has received a major cash boost.

The Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway Company has been given £50,000 to create a heritage centre on the site of the former Cynheidre colliery near Llannon.

The money - awarded by the Social Enterprise and Coalfields Trust - paves the way for the first stage of the project to get under way after years of behind the scenes work.

The team behind the project hopes eventually to use the centre as both a tourist and educational site and plans to run a tourist train along the line.

"Work has been going on behind the scenes for a number of years now, but at last there will actually be something for the public to see," said company director Martin Doe.

The Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway has occupied a place in history as the world's first passenger railway when it opened in 1803.

The 13-mile line linking Llanelli docks and Gorslas carried its final load in 1989 when the closure of the Cynheidre colliery brought an end to its commercial life.

Previous attempts to re-open the railway have failed, but the company - which was set up in 1999 - now owns a mile of track and around 20 acres of surrounding land.

"Our purpose is to open a heritage centre with a railway and locomotion museum on the site," said Mr Doe.