The Newcastle-based Northern Rock set up a special foundation in 1997, when it converted to a bank.

It pledged to hand back 5% of its annual earnings to charitable organisations.

Some 40 organisations will receive a share of �2.29m from the Northern Rock Foundation, taking the total given to good cause in 2003 to almost �12m.

The awards include �223,000 to three credit unions in Tyne and Wear, �98,947 to Eden Mind to help people with mental health problems and �59,946 to the Get Ahead Project in Blyth, to help young people who leave school with no qualifications and who may become involved in anti-social behaviour.

Almost �47,000 is going to the Newcastle Community Green Festival, to support the expansion of the festival and help increase visitor numbers.

Quality of life

And the Cumbria Association of Councils for Voluntary Service gets �67,000, to provide training to help staff and volunteers from community groups make their work more effective.

The chairman of the Northern Rock Foundation's trustees, Richard Harbottle, said: "Forty organisations across the North East and Cumbria will receive grants to support successful and creative ways of addressing social and economic problems and improving quality of life in the region.

"The trustees are delighted to be able to support such a wide range of projects tackling disadvantage and improving the quality of people's lives across the North East and Cumbria.

"Through the hard work of the organisations involved, we hope to continue making a real difference to our region and these grants will do just that."

The foundation's grants budget, expected to be �16m by the end of 2003, is now one of the largest in the country.

Its primary objective is to help improve the conditions of those most disadvantaged in society.

It supports causes in Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and Teesside.