SENIOR executives of shipbuilding and support services giant VT got their hands dirty in Southampton baking cakes.

Sixty of the top managers of the Hampshire based defence firm yesterday baked cakes, muffins and flapjacks before, in a challenge reminiscent of BBC TV's The Apprentice, being asked to go out and selling them across Southampton today.

All the profits from the sales go to chronic fatigue syndrome charity ME Action. It's the latest in what's fast becoming a tradition of eccentric management events which, in previous years, has seen VT managers asked to rescue their chief executive from the hands of kidnappers in a military style operation.

The Hedge End firm holds its annual management conference at the De Vere Grand Harbour hotel yesterday and today but aimed to spice things up.

"This is to give them a challenge in terms of business initiative and to put them in a pressured environment and ask them to succeed in business and all in a good cause," said a spokesman.

"We try and come up with something different from the conference atmosphere of sitting listening to presentations.

"It's not a game it has a serious point and a reference to the business. The lessons that they will learn will be lessons we want them to apply to their business."