Oops - yes, we realise we've just mixed up Action on Hearing Loss with Action for Blind People in our enewsletter - sincere apologies to all concerned!

Correct story follows....

RNIB and Action for Blind People are merging their back-office functions, five years after merging their front-office functions.

Speaking last night at Cass Business School about mergers Lesley-Anne Alexander, chief executive of RNIB, said: “I am thrilled to say that on 1 July we will be announcing a merged back-office between RNIB and Action for Blind People. We are still maintaining our separate brands.”

In 2009 the two charities adopted an association model which saw them adopt the same strategy and merge frontline provision of services for blind people.

Alexander also spoke about the need for there to be fewer competing charities and said that charities need to “step up to the plate”.

She said mergers in the charity sector “have to come from the heart”.

“There is no such thing as hostile takeover in my world and I sometimes wish that there was – sometimes there is a greater good rather than all of us being very excited about what we do as organisations.”