USK mums Rita Larsen and Deborah Hancock have identified a gap in the market for a survival guide on where to take easily-bored kids.

Their new book, Children's Monmouthshire, is being launched at the Monmouthshire Show on Thursday at a price of £10.

Afterwards it will be available through local retail outlets and a soon-to-be-launched website (www.outofthehouse.co.uk).

Rita and Deborah started from the position of needing to know how to keep their own children occupied.

They conducted market research which established that a remarkable (or desperate, depending how you look at it) 100 per cent of respondents would buy such a publication if it existed.

The women burned the midnight oil and came up with a compendium of information neatly categorised and colour-coded in a bright, spiral-bound book.

Prices, opening times, and facilities are all organised to within an inch of their lives.

Their business is called Out of the House Publications.

Deborah, a former primary school teacher, said: "I met Rita when I moved back into the area from London and she had re-located here from Norway. We both had young children and wanted to find the best child-friendly places in the area.

Rita said: "Being used to the outdoor life in Norway, I was keen to find country walks to explore."

They approached Chwa-rae Teg's Women's Enterprise Wales project to discuss their idea.

Deborah said: "We met up with Lynne Refae and found plenty of support. She helped us meet other support agencies such as Newport and Gwent Enterprise, the WDA, IP Wales and Design Wales."

Rita, a former business consultant, made use of her IT and organisational skills and initiated a partnership with Thyme Design Asso-ciates for work on the illustration and graphics.

The partners have big plans for the new company and want to develop their brand widely.

Rita said: "We're looking for people to buy into the business who can use our original business model and product design as a template for a publication for their region."

Lynne Refae, of Chwarae Teg, said: "Deborah and Rita are very focused business women and an inspiration to anyone thinking about starting their own business.

"They found a gap in the market for a product that they both believed in and have put their skills together to form a productive team."