AGE Concern Hampshire was today due to split from the national charity formed by the merger between Age Concern and Help the Aged.

The county has joined forces with three other branches also opting out of the new Age UK claiming it will damage the help they can give older people.

Age Concern Hampshire was today due to declare independence from Age UK, make a pledge to retain its trusted name and launch a social enterprise called Advant-Age in the House of Commons.

Director Chris Perry, pictured right, said: “The strength of Age Concern has always been its bottom up spontaneity with groups of volunteers, often older people themselves, coming together to respond to local need. Many of these independent charities predate both Age Concern England and the federation and have grown into medium sized charities in their own right, representing the views of, and providing services to, older people in their local communities.”

He said he felt it unfair that most money raised locally by Age UK would go into a central fund and projects dictated from a central bureaucracy instead of being driven by people who know the issues important in their areas.

Hampshire will also be launching its new logo in September.

The four Age Concern branches – Hampshire, Birmingham, Liverpool & Sefton and Slough & Berkshire East – have been working on the project for more than a year and already attracted support from other affiliated charities.

They are going to keep the name and reject Age UK.

Advant-Age chairman Dil Daly said: “We have no desire to generate income to prop up a large national organisation.

“We believe that older people’s needs are best served by local charities which are part of the local community, understanding and responding to the specific needs of local older people.”