ONE of Hampshire's leading employers has kicked off its 25th anniversary celebrations - by giving an extra day's holiday to staff.

Skandia, the sponsors of world-famous sailing regatta Cowes Week, opened for business in the UK in July 1979 with just 25 employees in six UK locations.

But the company has undergone phenomenal growth over the past 25 years to become one of the UK's top ten financial services groups.

Today, Skandia is one of Southampton's biggest employers with about 1,500 of its 2,000-strong workforce based in the city.

To mark the occasion employees will be able to take an extra day's holiday this year.

A series of events and activities are also planned throughout the year.

Managing Director Nick Poyntz-Wright is looking forward to an exciting year ahead.

He said: "There's no doubt 2004 is a special year for Skandia. The closing months of 2003 were some of the most successful ever and this puts us in a strong position for 2004."

To kick off the celebrations, Skandia has named Wessex Heartbeat as the official charity for its anniversary year.

The charity supports the Wessex Cardiac Unit at Southampton General Hospital, a centre of excellence for the treatment of heart diseases.

Over the past three years, Skandia has raised more than £165,000 for a variety of local and national charities.

Employees hope to raise significant funds for Wessex Heartbeat during this landmark year through a range of fundraising events and dress-down days.

Nick said: "We're delighted to be supporting Wessex Heartbeat during our anniversary year.

"The money raised will help the charity go on treating over 20,000 patients a year. We're incredibly lucky to have such a fantastic facility on our doorstep and we're looking forward to raising as much as we can for such a worthwhile cause."