Firm throws all at huge charity drive

plan.com staff embrace competitive challenge

An Island business telecoms provider has discovered its staff love a challenge - especially when it means competing against each other.

The workforce at Douglas-based plan.com have raised more than £45,000 for The Children's Centre in just 14 days, with its Ultimate Team Challenge.

Five teams competed to raise the most money, in challenges ranging from endurance sports events like the End2End mountain bike race to eating contests.

Over the fortnight, the teams cycled, kayaked, race walked, abseiled and climbed gorges blind-folded, to double their original target, raising £20,000.

That sum was matched by the company's founder, the donation now set to fund the charity's outdoor activities scheme Project Mobex - designed to instil 'a feeling of accomplishment in kids who have lost their self belief or are yet to realise what they're capable of.'

Kieran Stoutt, manager for Mobex said: "When we sat down with plan.com and came up with the idea, we set some pretty tough challenges and some very tight deadlines. We didn’t think they’d agree to it. To see them embrace the project and go even further by setting their own challenges was an inspiration for everyone."

"Not only did we manage to raise an incredible amount of money, we now have over sixty people in the Isle of Man who are Mobex ambassadors. For me, that is an astonishing achievement in itself.”