Les Prenton, who is 63 and lives in Barnoldswick, is Abbey Telecom's longest serving member of staff. As Operations Manager, Les is well known among many of Abbey Telecom's customers. He has managed telecoms engineers over the last two decades, a role which has called for him to be very organised. Consequently, his employer feels he is the backbone of the company's growth.
Tony Raynor, Director of Abbey Telecom, said: "It's important to us to retain our staff in order to deliver a seamless, quality service to our customers. We're delighted that Les has been with us for the last 20 years.
"Les's CV shows 23 years with BT beforehand which, together with him being a social fell runner, demonstrates that he is a true long distance runner. He has also got an excellent track record in running to raise thousands for Christie's which was initially prompted by illness amongst his friends and immediate family."
Abbey Telecom has rewarded Les for his long service with trips over the years to Canada, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and France.
Among his colleagues, Les has earned the nickname of ‘Captain Holiday' and subsequently become the organiser for staff Christmas parties all over Europe. His colleagues have enjoyed his attention to detail when Les has organised yuletide celebrations on company trips to Geneva, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Prague, Dublin and Edinburgh.
Tony Raynor added, "Les's real claim to fame is the introduction of the benefit of an extra day of leave per year after the completion of 10 years' service - his idea once he had been with us a decade. Several of his colleagues are grateful that he triggered extended holidays back in 2006 as they now enjoy extra leave too!"
Les Prenton said, "It's true what they say: time flies when you're having fun! I'm proud to have clocked up 20 years with Abbey Telecom, and look forward to a few more years yet."
Blackburn-based Abbey Telecom installs and maintains telephone systems and services, working closely with clients ranging from small businesses to larger PLCs. With over 20 years of knowledge, experience and specialist expertise in the telecoms industry, Abbey Telecom's reputation has grown to be one of the leading business telephone systems installers in the North West with customers nationwide.