Treasury staff at the Darlington Economic campus have handed over cheques for more than £2,000 to two charities.
The money was raised at a Treasury ball and was split between Darlington Assistance for Refugees and The Great North Air Ambulance.
DEC leader Beth Russell handed over the money and said: " I think it's incredibly important for us to have really great presence in the town and relationships in the community.
"Our staff feel incredibly energised by all of that. We've done the ball, we had a charity football match last year, and we won a charity auction to do volunteering.
"It's a really important part of the Treasury and other government departments being located here that we really understand the communities when we are helping make policy for them.
"As well as employing a lot of people directly from Darlington and around the region, my colleagues here genuinely feel massive attachment to the town and the local community."
The money was handed over to Ben Hunt of The Great North Air Ambulance and Fran Wood of Darlington Assistance for Refugees at a ceremony at the campus at Feethams in Darlington town centre.
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