A family-run craft firm from Kilgetty has won a spot in a nationwide hunt for the best of British manufacturing.

The Lovespoon Workshop in Cold Inn near Kilgetty has been included in the prestigious "Made by Britain" map after being nominated by local MP Simon Hart.

Kerry Thomas has been making lovespoons for 36 years and has now been joined in the business by his son David. Their workshop is also a successful visitor attraction welcoming 15,000 guests a year for demonstrations and talks.

"I liked the fact that the workshop is not just manufacturing something but is also a visitor attraction as tourism is also so vital to Pembrokeshire," said Mr Hart.

"David and Kerry obviously take great pride in handcrafting their beautiful spoons and I decided to nominate them as a reminder that not all manufacturing is done by machines."

The Thomas's make between 2-3,000 lovespoons a year which are sold through their shop in Cold Inn and have also been bought on-line by customers in the USA, New Zealand and Australia.

David has learned the craft from his father over the years. "The first time someone buys one of your spoons you can't quite believe it," he said.

"It's very satisfying to design and actually make something with your own hands, there are ten different stages to the making of the spoons. People are always asking "did you make this yourself?" I never get bored because you are always doing something different."

The Made by Britain Map idea is modelled on the Great Exhibition of 1851, and will showcase the best examples of British manufacturers in Parliament, in time for the Olympic Games next year.

Manufacturing represents 13 per cent of Britain's GDP and provides half of all UK exports, making it one of the few sectors to truly support the British economy.