HIV charity Crusaid has become part of the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), after a drop in income led it to seek a merger. Some redundancies may follow.

Crusaid, which has a turnover £1.6m, saw its income fall by over £300,000 last year.

Jordan Hay, chief executive of Crusaid, said: “We have seen a large decrease in income and our cost-cutting exercise was not reactive enough. We initiated this merger to ensure that our hardship fund can continue to make a vital difference to the ever-increasing numbers of people diagnosed with HIV each year in the UK.

"THT shares our vision and values and we are excited about the opportunities to support people with HIV that this merger presents."

Crusaid will adopt the branding of THT, which has a turnover of £18m, but the name Crusaid may be maintained for some of the merged charity’s activities. Nick Partridge, chief executive of THT, will head the new organisation.

Hay said there could be some redundancies and that the final shape of the management structure was still being finalised.