Two former LA Fitness directors have teamed up with the founder of ActivKids to launch the business as a franchise.

Fitness instructor James Porter set up ActivKids in 2002, offering kids’ activity programmes within primary schools in the Surrey area.

Now Jeremy Taylor, previously operations director of health club chain LA Fitness and Zoe O'Donnell, formerly the company’s brand director, have come on board to create an ActivKids network throughout the UK, offering curriculum-linked activity programmes for schools.

“From a kids activity point of view, there really isn’t anyone doing very much,” said O’Donnell. “So what we wanted to do was take James’ concept to the marketplace. Not only does it offer children fantastic activity programmes, but it offers a career – and a business – to people wanting to work within the fitness industry but looking for an alternative to being a fitness instructor.”

Franchisees will be given an ActivZone of around 30 primary schools and can run programmes before and after school and at lunchtimes, as well as covering school PE lessons.

“When James began ActivKids he was reliant on parents paying for their children to attend activities,” said O’Donnell. “But now that schools have to provide for children between 8am and 6pm and are incentivised to provide activity-based rather than academic study-based content, schools are receiving subsidies to pay people to run programmes for them.”

The company also includes assembly talks to children on nutrition and the benefits of exercise.

“We try to engage the kids all the way through by showing them that however much activity they do is fantastic, we’re just trying to encourage more,” said O’Donnell.

“Coming from a health club background I know that when someone joins you have to create the habit of going to the gym. If you don’t do that in the early stage you are going to lose them. What we’re seeing is that if we can change habits in young children it has to be for the good of them when they get older.”

The company is currently concentrating on working with primary schools, but is developing content for both teenagers and pre-school children.

As part of the franchise process, all ActivKids coaches undergo training accredited by the Register of Exercise Professionals.