The two largest welfare charities in the Manchester area, the Fed and Heathlands Village, are in the process of merging, the JC.Com can exclusively reveal.

The Fed, formerly the Manchester Jewish Federation, offers support services and financial assistance to Jewish people in need throughout Greater Manchester. Heathlands, the long-established Manchester Jewish Homes for the Aged, provides residential care for elderly people in supervised flats and wards under full nursing care.

Barbara Goldstone, president of the Manchester Jewish Representative Council, confirmed today that the two organisations had made an agreement in principle to merge. "It's a very exciting time for both organisations," Mrs Goldstone said.

Full details in this Friday's 184-page New Year issue of The Jewish Chronicle.