A £560,000 package of grants to Oxfordshire charities was last night described as an “important boost” as fundraisers battle the recession.

Seven organisations are celebrating £562,555 worth of Government funding to help secure services.

Whitehall said the money, from the newly-created Trans-ition Fund, is aimed at charities fighting public spending cuts.

My Life, My Choice, Oxfordshire, which helps people with learning disabilities, will receive £38,360.

It works with more than 400 people with learning disabilities and the cash will help its member-run cafe in West Oxford Community Centre, Botley Road.

Charity co-ordinator Mark Smyth said: “It is a really important boost. We have got to the stage where we have got all the component parts in place and now is the time to make them all really work.”

He said several streams of funding – none directly from the Government – had either come to an end or not been renewed, amounting to £80,000.

Donnington Doorstep Children’s Centre in Townsend Square will get £39,500.

The drop-in centre faced a £50,000 shortfall in January that could have threatened it with closure.

Manager Anna Thorne said the grant would go towards a business development plan and part-fund a new business development manager.

She said: “It’s really important to us and we are very excited to get it.”

Paul Cann, chief executive of Age UK Oxfordshire, which will be given a £100,655 grant, said: “Most of our public funding is up for discussion by the end of September.”

Oxfordshire Family Support Network will receive a £12,500 grant.

First established in 2007, it has a management committee of seven people and supports 300 families who have children or adults with learning disabilities.

Spokesman Gail Hanrahan, from Chalgrove, said: “The funding will help us to develop our website so we can market better the support we offer.”

Oxfordshire Youth Arts Partnership Trust, which runs arts projects for the vulnerable children, will receive £18,600.

Director Helen Le Brocq said: “As a charity we have got to change the way we think about how we’ll operate in the future.”

It has had to cancel projects, including summer residences for children in care this year, after losing up to £60,000 in grants.

More than £400,000 of Lottery money is on its way to Oxfordshire to encourage the county’s teenagers to get fit.

Sportivate is a nationwide scheme, using £32m of National Lottery money to get more young people to take up sport in the run-up to next year’s Olympics.

It will offer them the chance to receive up to eight weeks of coaching in a sport of their choice.

In Oxfordshire, some of the money will help support Street Basketball 3v3, a city tournament which was launched last month.

Mark Lygo, Oxford city council’s executive member for parks and sports, said: “This money will help promote activities for 14- to 25-year-olds, giving them the chance to decide what exactly they want to do. It’s all about the legacy of 2012, helping people into sport.”

Franky Marulanda, coach of the Oxford Hoops basketball team, said: “Basketball is something we believe will be popular with kids on the estates. This money is exciting because it covers various sports, not just the bigger ones.”

More than 70 people took part in the first tournament at the basketball court in Holloway, Cowley, on Saturday.

More matches will be held at Holloway, the Alexandra Courts in Botley and the Ridgefield Multi Use Games Area over the summer.

  • For more details, see leaguelineup.com/3on3-oxford