Age charities to merge

By Jayne Warren - 06/08/2008

After months of discussions, Age Concern and Help the Aged have formally announced their intentions to form a new charity to combine their strengths.

The UK’s two biggest charities for older people are to merge. In a move that has been under discussion for some time, Age Concern England and Help the Aged have finally announced that they plan to merge to form a new charity in April 2009 - and are looking for a new chief executive to lead the organisation.

 

The merged organisation, which will also have a new name, will work predominantly in England. Three separately constituted sister charities that share the same name, brand and aims will be set up in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

 

A spokesperson for both charities said: “Help the Aged and Age Concern England believe that combining the strengths of the two organisations in a new charity is the best way to serve the interests of older people. The creation of the new charity remains subject to board approval in the autumn, but both boards have agreed in principle that this is the best way forward.

 

“The new charity would provide high quality services and ensure that older people’s voices are heard wherever their interests are at stake.”

 

The merger seems both logical and sensible, given that Help The Aged’s strengths are increasingly in the campaigning and political area, whereas Age Concern has a strong regional structure providing more hands-on advice.

 

The new chief executive, who will be paid £150,000 a year, is expected to take up the post at the start of 2009. He or she will spend several months appointing a senior management team and preparing for the launch of the merged organisation. The merger will be the largest since the Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research fused in 2002 to form Cancer Research UK.

 

 

YOU RESPOND

 

These charities do a lot of good, but I was taken aback to read that their new Chief Executive will receive £150,000 a year. That is a great many people's donations going to pay for that alone.

 

Many of their helpers work voluntarily for no money, out of the goodness of their heart - so the Chief Executive's salary seems excessive!  Surely the charity could employ a good person for much less than that.

 

In fact, if someone is willing to work for them without a huge salary it would show they are really committed to the charity's work and are not mainly in it for the money.  This could ensure the right person is employed.

 

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