A pioneering children's activity club, which has become a godsend for parents during the school holidays, has been sold by the man who founded it 12 years ago.

Paul Smith, who started Choices for Children in 1991 when it was called Varndean Sports School, has passed control of the business to his former employee, Adele Scholey.

He will now focus on developing his other projects which include the Brighton Swimming School, the Brighton Swimming Teachers' Centre and Pavilion Training.

Paul, a former swimming instructor, launched Choices for Children when out-of-school childcare was virtually unheard of across Brighton and Hove.

Since it began more than 10,000 children have been registered with the scheme and in 2001 Paul was invited to meet Prime Minister Tony Blair in Downing Street.

Paul, 38, said: "It was a very important moment in terms of recognition for the profession as it was the first time a Prime Minister had recognised the efforts of childcarers.

"You have to remember we were starting from scratch. We had no manuals to refer to, no start-up packs, we had to create the company as we went along.

"It is a bit of a wrench to let it go but I feel I have taken it as far as I can and I know Adele is a very good manager and the company is in the safest possible hands."

Adele worked as operations manager at Choices from 1999 to the end of 2002 before leaving to concentrate on a children's activity book.

After a year out she was approached by Paul who was looking for a suitable successor and she eventually agreed to take over the business.

Adele, 38, said: "I missed the children enormously and the interaction with parents. They all know me here so the changeover has been very smooth.

"While I was away, parents would come up to me and say their children had been asking where I was so that was another reason to come back."

Choices now operates at Varndean College and Westdene School and provides a range of activities for children based around sport, art, dance and music.

Its selling point is that children choose the activities they want to take part in, which are usually based around a given theme such as treasure hunts or the fun fair.

Parents who work have come to rely on the company, which is open to children, aged four to 11, during the school holidays and runs a soccer club every Saturday.

The name Choices for Children will not change and while the club is expected to continue in much the same vein for the foreseeable future, changes have not been ruled out.

Adele said: "I want to expand but I am not going to run before I can walk.

"Eventually I would like to put on activities for 11 to 13-year-olds but that is some way in the future.

"It is a difficult age group to deal with because they are too old for the activities we put on at the moment and too young for some teenage activities but I would like to cater for them eventually."

For more information, log on to the web site www.choicesforchildren.co.uk

Thursday January 08, 2004