POWER workers have been taking steps to help local charities.

Nineteen workers from px limited, operators of a £100m gas processing plant at Seal Sands, near Billingham, walked from Whitby Abbey to Robin Hood's Bay, raising nearly £2,000 for the Macmillan Nurses and for the Cleveland Unit Child Development Centre which is based at Middlesbrough General Hospital.

"We have done a bit of ad hoc fundraising in the past at work," said Paul Atkinson, the group's treasurer and maintenance manager. But we wanted to make this a bit more formal and something to build on in coming years. We set up a small team to look at everyone's charity choices and fundraising ideas before settling on the walk for this year's event."

Kate Morris, who heads up the child development unit, said: "It is a boost for us when a local company like px comes forward to add an extra source of funding. The team clearly enjoyed themselves in completing the challenge and it has been good for some of them to visit the unit to see how their contribution will be applied in practice."

Formed by five former Enron directors, px limited began operating and managing the £100m gas processing plant at Seal Sands and the £800m power plant at Wilton in July, securing the jobs of 220 people.