Merger ahead?

Hard economic times are driving charities to consider mergers, but going for a merger can be costly and there can be pitfalls for those without a common purpose, as Peter Davy discovers.

When Help the Aged and Age Concern merge next month it will be the biggest union in the charity sector since the creation of Cancer Research UK in 2002. With a combined income of more than £150m and 2,250 employees, it will be far and away the largest charity for the elderly and rank among the top 25 fundraising charities in the UK.