A HOLIDAY club for youngsters in Princetown, which has received a £7,500 lottery grant, has been unable to open its doors this half-term week because a qualified playgroup leader cannot be found.

The ?We Can Choose Holiday Club? run by the High Moorland Community Association provides 16 places for youngsters in Princetown and the surrounding area, but unfortunately the club has been postponed until a new qualified play leader is appointed.

The host of new toys and equipment bought with the generous grant will remain unused throughout this half-term.

Annie Veysey, of the HMCA, said: ?The irony is we have got all this equipment but we do not have a qualified play group leader. We have two rooms bursting with equipment thanks to the grant, it?s just unfortunate we haven?t got someone using it?.

The grant is part of a National Lottery New Opportunities Fund award of £1.2-million to support kids? clubs in the South West.

Mrs Veysey said the equipment bought with the grant included outdoor camping equipment, an indoor cooker, craft kits and a karaoke machine.

?The holiday club is just starting to build up momentum. We have a lot of regular users and we had some youngsters from Meavy coming so it wasn?t just for Princetown, it was for the whole parish,? she said.

The holiday club caters for children aged from three to 14 years- old, with all welcome in the friendly setting.

Mrs Veysey said there were problems covering such a large age range, with some older users feeling they had

outgrown the club.

However, she said the group had been split into two this summer, with older ones able to do their own thing, and the younger ones receiving more one-on-one help with painting and craft work.

The club, which meets at Wesley House, Princetown, celebrated its first birthday in August.

Mrs Veysey said the HMCA was hopeful the holiday club could be up-and-running again soon if the right person was found to lead the group.

The club was one of 28 in Devon which shared £442.158 announced this week for holiday, after-school and breakfast clubs in the county.

The award is part of the Government?s National Childcare Strategy, and will allow the Playlines Trust to create new childcare places across the region.

For more information about the Princetown holiday club, phone Annie or Jenny on 01822 890732.