From Dame Vera Lynn to Ella Fitzgerald they are some of the nation ’ s best loved singers . But their music offers more than just relaxation . According to Dame Esther Rantzen , songs from a bygone age can benefit the emotional and mental health of older people by reminding them of the loves and dreams of their past . With this in mind she has collaborated on an album of music from the 1940s to the 1970s titled Silver Linings , Songs of a Lifetime . Dame Esther Rantzen believes songs from a bygone age can benefit the health of older people and has collaborated on an album of 1940s to 1970s music , featuring Dame Vera Lynn ( left ) and Ella Fitzgerald ( right ) The music on the £12 Silver Linings , Songs of a Lifetime album ( pictured above ) , which is being sold by Amazon , HMV and iTunes , was chosen by Dame Esther and those who benefit from The Silver Line charity . Tom Jones , Dame Vera Lynn , Petula Clark , Ella Fitzgerald and Dionne Warwick are just some of the artists who feature on the compilation which has been created to generate funds for Dame Esther ’ s Silver Line helpline . Launched in 2013 for the lonely elderly , volunteers are now taking up to 1,000 calls a day and £1 from every album sale will go towards providing much needed funds for the charity . The former That ’ s Life ! Presenter who is now 74 said yesterday : ‘ Listening to the music of our youth - which reminds us of the time we dreamed , fell in love , went out with friends , the world was in front of us and nothing seemed impossible - makes us feel young . ‘ It has been found to turn the clock back , physically , mentally and emotionally . So it ’ s really good for us. ’ The music on the £12 album , which is being sold by Amazon , HMV and iTunes , was chosen by Dame Esther and the people who benefit from The Silver Line . Former That ’ s Life ! Presenter , Dame Esther Rantzen ( pictured ) believes music from a bygone age can help benefit the mental health of older people . Among them is 93-year-old Bob Lowe , who moved Radio 5 Live listeners to tears last year after sharing a poem that he wrote to his late wife Kath following her death from Alzheimer ’ s . In their youth Mr and Mrs Lowe danced to many of the songs on the album . A black and white image on its cover captures the couple dancing in high spirits . The music on the album is also a soundtrack to Dame Esther ’ s life and she shares one of her memories , involving her former husband Desmond Wilcox who died from heart disease in 2010 , on the sleeve notes : ‘ Ella [ Fitzgerald ] singing Every Time We Say Goodbye is a lovely but sad ballad , expressing the pangs of parting . 'My late husband , Desmond , used to sing it to me when he had to leave , but as he was completely tone-deaf , we used to dissolve into laughter , and that eased the pain and gave us a joyous memory , until we met again . ‘ And Up , Up and Away [ by The Fifth Dimension ] always reminds me of the balloon flight he gave me as a birthday gift , when I flew so fast in a beautiful balloon that we landed with a crash in a bramble bush . 'You , too , will have so many personal memories as you listen to this collection , of tears and laughter. ’ Dame Esther ’ s relationship with Mr Wilcox began as an affair in 1968 , when they both worked at the BBC . They married in 1977 , had three children and spent 30 years together until his death , aged 69 . Three years ago , after her youngest child Joshua moved out , Dame Esther sold the family home and moved into a two-bedroom flat . At the age of 71 she found herself living alone , and the experience prompted her to set up The Silver Line . Tom Jones ( left ) , Petula Clark ( right ) and Dionne Warwick are also among artists who feature on the album . Music by Dionne Warwick ( pictured in 2013 ) also features on the album which is being sold by Amazon , HMV and iTunes . All proceeds from the £12 compilation will go towards Dame Esther ’ s Silver Line helpline charity . Last year Dame Esther said : ' I was coming home to a dark flat with no one to make a cup of tea with and no one to ask about my day , it hit me quite profoundly . 'When I started to talk about it working in the elderly care sector , I realised how it resonated with so many hundreds of thousands of people . 'One of the things I discovered was the stigma attached to loneliness , people do n't like admitting it , partly because they do n't want to be a burden , and partly because they 're ashamed , they feel humiliated by this feeling nobody wants them or cares about them . 'So there is a pride and an independence in the older generation . We want them to know that they 're not alone and that we do care . '
Dame Esther Rantzen has created compilation of songs from a bygone age . She believes older tunes can benefit emotional and mental health of elderly . Created album of 1940 to 1970s music - Silver Linings , Songs of a Lifetime . It features Tom Jones , Dame Vera Lynn , Petula Clark and Ella Fitzgerald .