MORE than £4.5m has been handed out to charities in the region at risk from the Government's spending cuts.

A total of 51 groups from the North-East and North Yorkshire have received money from the Transition Fund.

The funding is designed to help charities, which are vulnerable to public spending cuts, prepare for new opportunities brought by the Big Society policies.

The biggest grant handed out in the region went to the Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust Limited, based in Peterlee, County Durham.

The charity received more than £410,000 to help the long-term unemployed into work.

Kate Welch, founder and chief executive, said that without the money Acumen would have been forced to make redundancies.

She added: "This money will help us prepare for a changing landscape."

Darlington Association on Disability was another big winner, receiving £133,000.

Richmond YMCA was awarded a grant of £90,000.

The money will enable the YMCA to develop an interactive website, build a database of potential donors and provide training for staff and trustees.

Ken Allinson, chief executive of Richmond YMCA, said: "This will enable us to strengthen our infrastructure and be in a position to take advantage of further opportunities in the future to serve the community and support young people."

The grants were announced yesterday by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude and Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd.

Mr Hurd said: "The Transition Fund is part of a much wider package of support for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises.

"All the charities receiving transition funds have a plan to overcome current challenges and emerge stronger."

The Transition Fund was announced in the spending review in October last year.

So far, £94.5m has been allocated.

Last night, Durham Labour MP Roberta Blackman-Woods welcomed the grants, but said many charities losing money in the cuts, particularly smaller organisations, were ineligible for transition funding.

In a separate announcement yesterday, three North-East schemes are to share £1.9m from the Big Lottery Fund.

The groups included Stockton and District Advice and Information Service - The Cabin, which will get more than £487,000.

The money will be used to help vulnerable young people improve their skills, get welfare help and tackle legal issues.

Charities in the region receiving money from the Transition Fund

Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust Limited, Easington £410,703
Clervaux Trust Ltd, Richmond £68,000
Community Campus '87 (Cleveland) Ltd £92,989
Coundon and Leeholme Community Partnership £36,304
Darlington Association on Disability £133,200
East Durham Citizens Advice Bureau £88,669
East Durham Community Development Trust Limited £26,058
East Durham Community Transport £135,000
Hambleton Citizens Advice Bureau £41,000
Hartlepool Credit Union Limited £47,500
Pioneering Care Partnership, Sedgefield £120,400
Pre-School Learning Alliance, Scarborough and Whitby £41,000
Redcar and Cleveland Mind £70,035
Richmond YMCA £90,000
Safe in Tees Valley Limited £363,000
Sedgefield and District Citizens Advice Bureau £85,864
The Hope Foundation Limited, Middlesbrough £71,567
The Main Project, Middlesbrough £190,000
Unite Limited, Middlesbrough £73,667
Wear Valley Citizens Advice Bureau £100,000
West View Project Community Interest Company, Hartlepool £58,600
Whale Hill Community Association, Redcar £29,523
Wingate and Station Town Family Centre £18,000