AFTER having a pizza the action in Worcester for 12 years, one of the city's successful businessmen is moving on.

Ali Soliman is handing over the keys to Little Venice, on St Nicholas' Street, in May.

The 62-year-old is best-known for keeping out of the limelight and getting on with making the pizza and pasta restaurant a success.

"I have to move on now," said Mr Soliman, who first came to Worcester when the restaurant was a struggling PizzaExpress branch.

"I've done exactly what I've wanted and now I need a new challenge. It was the same when I was at PizzaExpress.

"I'm very pleased with what I've achieved in Worcester. Pizza and pasta is getting more and more popular - this sort of business will never die."

Mr Soliman, who is originally from Egypt, came to England when he was 35 to

study a computer course. But within six months he was the assistant manager of a PizzaExpress branch in London, and became manager six months after that.

He came to Worcester in 1991 and bought the branch from PizzaExpress.

As well as creating a number of different pizzas, including one especially for regular customer Peter Read - the Pietro - Mr Soliman has used his business to raise money for Childline and Children in Need.

Through donating 20p for every pizza sold, he estimates the charity donations to be around £3,000 since the year 2000.

This is set to continue despite Mr Soliman moving back to his family, who live in Surrey.

He has since had an offer from an American firm to help launch a new takeaway and delivery service in the UK.

"I'm going to visit them in the summer but I don't know how it is going to work out or how much work is involved," he said.

"If I feel I can't do it successfully I won't do it."

But fans of Little Venice will not be disappointed as the business has been sold as a going concern.