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 don't like admitting it, partly because they don'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 1940 lifetime tom jones dame vera lynn petula clark ella fitzgerald
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 