Resigning during may leave & setting up my own company. Remaining stat pay & how to resign

[LoisLoisLois1]

Hello,

I'm planning to resign from my job in January while I'm on maternity leave and then start my own rival company in September. I have a six month competition clause in my contract plus a three month notice period so using the remainder of my maternity leave to bridge this time.

I receive stat maternity pay. When I quit I know I'm eligible to receive it until the end of the 39 week period-is this still paid from my employer? Does it affect my notice period and therefore my six month competition clause?

Also any tips of what to write in my resignation letter-I'm not going to mention my company plans. Is it ok to send an email to resign with an attached formal letter? I think it will be awkward to go into work just to resign when I know my future plans will not go down well.

Thank you!