A MIDLANDS-based recruitment agency worked some Christmas magic by raising more than £1,000 for charity.

Backup Staff, which has four county offices, including one in Worcester's Castle Street, helped both Children In Need and Crisis by staging a casino night and abandoning its usual corporate Christmas card list.

Staff and friends of the firm, who attended the fourth annual casino clutching their pennies, ended up raising more than £1,000 for Children In Need.

And managing director Joe Powell decided to save the money usually spent on Christmas cards and make a donation to Crisis - a gesture which raised £700 for the cause.

"At this time of year, it is often too easy to forget those less fortunate than ourselves and with these events, we were able to give something back to the community," he said.

"I am proud to be part of an organisation that involves itself with charity in this way."

Established in 1990, Backup, which has seven branches in total, is one of the largest independent recruitment agencies in the Midlands, dealing with industrial, office, driving and catering sectors.