TROWBRIDGE-BASED mobile phone giant Virgin Mobile is set to take on 200 more staff before Christmas.

The business, which has gone from strength to strength since opening in November 1999, has embarked on a high profile recruitment campaign this month.

Brightly coloured adverts featuring staff from the Trowbridge centre have appeared in newspapers and a stand at the Wiltshire Times Job Fair in Trowbridge yesterday was also set to help in the bid to find workers.

The firm is holding a recruitment open day on Thursday to give prospective employees the chance to visit the firm's headquarters and call centre.

Jean Walker, of Reed Employment, who looks after recruitment for the firm, said: "We hope to make it a jazzy event to tie in with the atmosphere at Virgin. Virgin Mobile is expanding all the time and we are now looking for customer service advisers and team managers, about 200 in total."

The firm attracts people of all ages with its flexible working hours and innovative approach combining fun and hard work.

Mrs Walker said: "There is the perception that Virgin is just about young yuppies but we are always looking for mature people too.

"We have a lot of people who return to work after having children. We want to give people the chance to come and have a look, dip a toe in the water before making the splash."

People can visit Virgin Mobile between 4.30pm and 8pm to find out about the new job opportunities.

Mrs Walker said: "People will be able to go round the building and talk to staff about the work and what it is like."

By March this year the company already had more than 1.6million customers with rigorous marketing campaigns ensuring the numbers continue to rise.

The ever-expanding company is now taking on the USA after opening a service centre in New York with more than 1,000 employees in July.