Merger set to create united voice for trade

Merger talks have been initiated between the two leading licensed trade charities, the Society of Licensed Victuallers and the Licensed Victuallers National Homes. Trustees and senior officers from both charities met on Wednesday last week to discuss how the two organisations could jointly meet the challenges and best serve the needs of those who work in the trade. LVNH director Robin King believes a merger will lead to an even better service for its beneficiaries: "Our partnership with Anchor Trust has been a door to yet another opportunity to widen the benefits for our members and others in this industry. This first meeting provided a clear indication of harmony and intent." The LVNH was founded in 1827 by trustees from its original sister charity, the SLV, to provide affordable housing for the elderly from the retail licensed trade. Faced with the prospect of a huge bill for upgrading properties to comply with changes in housing law, the charity decided to transfer its 654 homes to Anchor Housing Trust, one of the UK's largest housing associations. The transfer has enabled LVNH to provide access to housing on a much wider scale through its 100 nomination rights a year with Anchor Trust, but at the same time the charity has had to re-focus its charitable objectives to provide more welfare-based benefits, many of which are already available through the SLV. The SLV has been involved in mergers before. In 1997 it merged with the Licensed Trade Convalescent Homes (LTCH), the third of the three "beer" charities, which was set up in 1962. The SLV's current governor, Eric Morgan, a previous chairman of the LTCH and its national treasurer at the time of the merger, sees the prospect of a further merger with the LVNH as an unparalleled success for the licensed trade. He said: "There has never been a better time to consider a merger since, following the transfer of the LVNH's housing stock, the two charities, with very similar objectives, are in danger of duplicating what each are already doing. It would clearly be more beneficial to do it together. "Since the merger of the two charities in 1997, the previous LTCH committees around the country are now major supporters within the SLV. The convalescent homes brought an additional benefit to the SLV by providing convalescent care to the range of services already being provided." Talks to progress the merger will be held over the coming months and the work involved in bringing the two charities together to the satisfaction of the Charity Commission is expected to take some time. LVNH chairman Jon Bristow believes a merger is the obvious way forward but patience will be needed to bring the two charities together. He said: "The sense in this venture is inescapable. The success of it will depend on careful planning." The SLV has been helping the young, elderly and sick in the retail drinks industry for more than 200 years. It also continues to provide bursaries for children from the trade to benefit from the opportunities and education offered by the Licensed Victuallers' School in Ascot, which celebrates its bicentenary this year. When formed, the new charity will encompass the recent changes made by the SLV to include all who work in the retail licensed trade, not just licensees and their families, as well as continue to provide business benefits to its members. The charity's chief executive, Colin Wheeler, views the upcoming merger as a highly positive move for the licensed trade, one that will encourage the trade companies to be positive in their commitment to support their own community through a single charity for those who work at the coal face. He said: "Throughout the history of the trade charities there has been a strong working relationship between the SLV and the LVNH, with many examples of joint help being provided to those in need. "The vision of the trustees, from both organisations, is to create a significant voice in the trade, to be a natural channel of support for the trade companies, and most importantly, an automatic resource for those who need help in the industry. A single charity can focus its resources on delivering a first-class service in a beneficial and effective way.