Business telecommunications and IT systems

Staff from the Newbury IT and telecoms company, du Pré plc, armed themselves with IP telephones designed for business communications with an entry into the Newbury Pancake Race in Berkshire earlier today.

The race saw teams of local businesses particpate in the annual event which encouraged a healthy amount of competition in the name of charity. Mike Openshaw, team Captain for the day, usually spends his time speaking with schools and businesses about flexible working and disaster recovery.  But today's race was all about being with other Newbury businesses.

The team of runners consisted of Marie Beldam, Anoop Dhaliwal, Ian Hodge and Mike Openshaw, all from the du Pré sales department. They were supported by du Pré's four cheerleaders Brooke Hornby, Amy Allen, Vikki Swanborough and Sophie Double (who usually reside in the Marketing, Finance and Operations departments!)

The races were run in a relay style with pancake tossing being an obligatory task for all runners at the appropriate stations.  Pancakes had to reach at least head height before a steward would give the green light to pass successfully.

After the races, the tradition of throwing pacakes from the top of the church tower was followed.

Simon Jones, Marketing Manager at du Pré, explained why the event worked so well. 'We like to support the local community of schools and businesses especially as IT and telecoms is such an important area for all companies. The pancake race was great fun and everyone enjoyed it!'

The event was covered by the Newbury Weekly News which recently adopted the du Pré Connect telephone system for business grade IP telephony.