A new animation studio, partially funded by a grant from the Welsh National Assembly, will open in Cardiff Bay this week, writes Sam Espensen.

A new animation studio, partially funded by a grant from the Welsh National Assembly, will open in Cardiff Bay this week, writes Sam Espensen.

The 6,000 sq ft Siriol 3D studio will provide 17 new jobs ranging from animators to electricians, and will double the workforce of its owner Siriol Productions, a division of Entertainment Rights. Siriol's chief executive Robin Lyons wants to "build on this skill base and produce a whole range of new programming. Our aim is for this new complex to attract work at home and internationally."

The studio's first commission is a new series of Fireman Sam, to air on S4C in 2004 and BBC in 2005. Commissioned by Siwan Jobbins at S4C, the 26 x 10-minute series, along with a grant of£115,000, has enabled the studio to be built. At the National Assembly, culture minister Jenny Randerson said that the creative industries in Wales are playing an "increasingly important role in both the economic and cultural lives of the nation".

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