A brother and sister have thanked beach hut owners for holding a Christmas open day by making them unique gifts.

Amber and Leo Erwin Van Rooyen spent hours making wooden beach hut-shaped key rings for each hut owner that joined in - and each one was painted the correct colour.

The children's father is Erwin Van Rooyen who runs a hut repair business. He said: “It’s something silly but that’s the whole thing about Christmas.”

Dozens of Hove's huts opened on Saturday, each one decked out for Christmas.

Leo, 14, who goes to Blatchington Mill School, said: “They’ve all said it’s really thoughtful. It’s lovely.

“It’s something you’ve done for them. They didn’t ask for it, and that’s such a nice feeling.”

Leo, who lives with his family in Hove, was responsible for cutting the key rings, which are made of wood, into the right shape.

Amber, nine, painted each unique key ring to replicate its real-life counterpart. 

She said: “Everyone’s said thank you and they were like, this is really nice.”

She received some donations from beach hut owners, which she used to buy new paint and brushes to make more key rings.

They were unable to deliver all the key rings on Saturday but hope to hand them over before Christmas Day.

The Argus: Pictured left to right: Erwin Van Rooyen with his children Amber and Leo Van RooyenPictured left to right: Erwin Van Rooyen with his children Amber and Leo Van Rooyen (Image: The Argus / Andrew Gardner)

Kathy Biggs, who owns a hut near Hove Lagoon, said: "It was a lovely surprise and I was delighted that Amber had thought about doing this for the hut owners that opened on Saturday.

"It was very thoughtful and a great idea for the beach hut community."

The children made their designs at a garage in Hove and Erwin feels as though he is bringing up the next generation of his family around the beach huts.

Erwin said: “We try and get off the computer screens and gaming. I want my children to do something.

“I’d like to teach my kids that if you give something free to somebody, you get business.” 

Erwin has been repairing and renovating beach huts for the last two years. He said: “It’s really good to help people out with the small jobs, something simple. Not many builders want to go do a small job.

“Beach huts are such a prized possession, it’s such an investment.”