LIBERAL DEMOCRAT leader Tim Farron has insisted Brecon and Radnorshire is an important seat to the party as he came to support Kirsty Williams' re-election campaign.

The Welsh Lib Dem leader is fighting to keep hold of Brecon and Radnorshire in May’s Welsh Assembly elections after the Parliamentary seat fell to the Conservatives at last year’s general election.

Mr Farron, who succeeded Nick Clegg as the party’s UK leader following the general election which saw it left with just seven MPs following the coalition government with the Conservatives, said the party is keen to keep hold of Ms Williams’ seat.

"It’s hugely important and I always say about Kirsty how important she is as being a stand out leader in Welsh politics and in making sure not just her party but the things she believes in punch above their weight," said Mr Farron.

But Mr Farron, who was making his third visit to the constituency since being elected Lib Dem leader, said it was important to win the Assembly seat in its own right.

"I always push back against anyone who says winning an Assembly seat is a stepping stone to winning a Westminster seat."

The Lib Dem leaders visited Brecon based Ty-Mawr Lime, a market leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of environmentally-friendly building materials.

They were highlighting the party’s ambitions for businesses in Wales.

Mr Farron said: "Ty-Mawr Lime are exactly the sort of great business we need across the UK. They are good for the economy, they create jobs, and they are environmentally friendly.

"We need more businesses like this. Wales should be known as the place where small and medium sized businesses thrive, it just needs a government with the ambition to make it happen.

"Kirsty Williams and her team have the ideas to unleash Wales’ business potential. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are unique as they can speak for all of Wales. No other party can deliver economic growth for the whole of Wales. Whether it’s North, South, Mid, rural or urban."

Ms Williams said: "The Welsh Liberal Democrats’ vision of an opportunity economy will tear down the barriers that stop Welsh businesses from fulfilling their ambitions."

She said the party wants to invest in mobile and broadband technology and provide independent advice and finance to businesses and double the number of apprenticeships.

Joyce Gervis, managing director of Ty-Mawr Lime, said: "We were delighted to have demonstrated our work today and the impact that we, as a small, home grown business, has had and is having on the economy.

"We feel that Ty-Mawr Lime is an excellent example of how small businesses can achieve tremendous growth, create stable jobs, and put millions annually into the local economy.

"Importantly for us, we also illustrated how all of this is possible whilst operating ethically and with real concern for the environment. Raising the profile of the urgent need for the right business support, infrastructure and skills for small businesses shows how even in rural areas, that getting it right can be transformational; small businesses really do have the potential to achieve their aspirations and make a very significant contribution economically and socially to our communities, the environment and indeed our country."