A FAMILY working at Essar Stanlow chose to donate £3,000 to Stick 'n' Step as part of the company's 'Let's Give' initiative.

Joe Shaw, a maintenance technician at the Ellesmere Port oil refinery, has been working at the company for ten years with his father and brother.

He chose to donate to Wallasey based charity Stick 'n' Step who helped his nephew George.

Stick 'n' Step supports children and young people who have Cerebral Palsy, and their families, across North West England and North Wales.

The charity provides personalised group Conductive Education sessions for up to 70 children at their centre every week.

Conductive Education is about active learning and the charity’s sessions incorporate play, mobility tasks and songs to develop functional skills.

Joe said: “My 11-year-old nephew George has Cerebral Palsy.

"The charity has done wonders, not only for his physical development, but for his confidence too.

"He is a massive football fan, and following great treatment and determination on his part, he plays every Saturday for CP (Cerebral Palsy) United.

"As a small and local charity close to the heart of our family, it is fantastic that we have been able to support Stick ‘n’ Step with this donation from Essar.”

All donations from Essar are made to local charities nominated by employees who have had personal dealings with them.

Community and corporate fundraiser at the charity Hettie Miles said: “Our aim is simple - we want to enable each child to reach their personal potential in terms of their confidence, mobility and independence.

"We are very grateful to Essar for their generous donation which will greatly support our current fundraising efforts to improve the centre.

“When you're living with Cerebral Palsy and battling hard to take your first steps, or you're learning to crawl, you need a completely level, totally flat space to practice.

"We're planning to install an ultra-modern, state-of-the-art new floor surface in our classroom, so whether our children are crawling, walking, running or sitting, the floor is comfortable and safe.

"The money from Essar is a huge help towards our fundraising target.”