CUMMINS, which has a diesel engine plant in Darlington, is well on its way to its £20,000 charity target.

The company has raised £14,673 and aims to hit £20,000 by the end of 2011.

Following a year of fundraising activities the money has been raised for a number of charities including Family help, Parkinson’s, St Teresa's Hospice and Save the Children.

Corporate social responsibility is taken seriously at Cummins and is part of the 10-word vision statement that every employee abides by - Making people’s lives better by unleashing the power of Cummins.

Cummins works within the community to make a difference and potentially change lives.

Every Employee Every Community (EEEC) is an active programme throughout Cummins worldwide allowing employees four hours of paid time off work to participate in a community project.

Every year, Cummins devotes more than 70,000 hours of paid employee time to community projects.

Steven Nendick, marketing communications director, explains: “Supporting local communities in which we work has been part of the company’s ethos since the early days in America.

“We not only improve the environmental impact of our products but also our facilities and people.”