A LLANGADOG fish hatchery has received a belated award from Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones.

The Llyn y Fan fish hatchery, Wales's largest privately-owned fish hatchery, won the Rural Enterprise Award at Countryside Alliance Awards in January, but very cold weather and heavy snow prevented the hatchery's owners from attending the awards ceremony to receive the award from the minister.

Llyn y Fan's owners Olwen Hardwick and Jim Bradshaw, established the hatchery in 1994 to produce Atlantic salmon and sea trout to enhance the fish stocks on the Towy and Cleddau rivers.

Elin Jones said: "I was pleased to be able to visit Llyn y Fan to see the work that has won them this award and congratulate them on all the work they've cleared put in. I was also glad that the weather for the visit a lot more pleasant than the snow and ice that prevented them receiving the award in January."

Olwen Hardwick said: "We were pleased to welcome the minister to Llyn-y-fan. Our business has grown over the years, and it is really pleasing to gain recognition through this award for ourselves and the Carmarthen Fishermans Federation and anglers of the Tywi valley for their support."