Celebration as 5000th customer gets free internet

A delighted David Lester-Card received a surprise bonus when he was connected to full fibre broadband by Dorset based Wessex Internet. As the company’s 5000th customer, he will receive a free service for life.

David (aged 66) first heard the fantastic news when Zac Barrett, Field Sales Manager turned up on his doorstep in the rural village of Tytherington, Wiltshire minutes after his home was connected to full fibre broadband by Norton Maby from the install team.

David, a former Operations Director was presented with a bottle of champagne and was then told about the free service which is worth £44 per month. He was amazed to hear that he would get free internet for the rest of his life and couldn’t wait to break the news to his wife Caroline, an NHS cardiac physiologist.

He said: “We have struggled with poor internet for some time – but I never believed that we would ever get an ultrafast full fibre connection to our home. We don’t even have a mains water supply! It all happened in a short amount of time – from when we first had a leaflet from Wessex Internet, followed by Zac knocking on the door to the installation into my house. It wasn’t until I saw the outdoor team working in the fields near to my property that I grasped hold of the fact that it was a reality.”

After posing for a few photographs along with his dog Alfie, David was keen to go online to get a taste for his new superfast internet. He said “It is totally amazing – and allows us to move with the world!”

Wessex Internet connected David’s home as part of its work across Dorset, Wiltshire and South Somerset to bring full fibre broadband to rural villages and towns.

Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO said: “I would like to congratulate David for sharing this momentous occasion with us. This is a significant milestone not only for Wessex Internet, but also to all our current and future customers in hard-to-reach areas. More importantly for every single one of our 140 employees whose enthusiasm, professionalism and can-do attitude have made this achievement possible. I am proud to lead such a fantastic team who’ve been with us on our journey so far, and in the future as we continue to grow.”

The whole company got together for a team photograph to mark the occasion, followed by cake. Each of the 140 employees was presented with a limited-edition green water bottle in the distinctive colour of the Wessex Internet brand.

Wessex Internet is on the lookout for new talent across Dorset and South Somerset to support a major rollout of its full fibre network to rural areas. For anyone wanting to find out about current job vacancies, they can visit www.wessexinternet.com/careers/