‘This is crucial step forward and generous’
THE Silver Line charity founder Dame Esther Rantzen heralded the initiative as a crucial step forward.
She said: “It is also a generous one because this issue has remained under the radar for far too long and not been dealt with.
“It is a good start and it is positive this issue has been recognised at a very senior level of government, but much more is needed.
“There are many different causes of loneliness, but there is not one silver bullet to tackle it. We must all work together.”
Her charity, set up in 2013, is not one of the organisations to get a cash injection, despite being Britain’s only free, confidential 24-hour telephone helpline for lonely older people. It receives 10,500 calls a week but that will rocket over the coming days.
On Christmas Day, when millions of people will be enjoying the company of friends and family, it is expecting as many as 2,500 calls – more than two every minute.
The former That’s Life! TV presenter’s charity is backed by the Daily Express Respect For The Elderly crusade.
The service costs £5million a year to run but its five-year £10million lottery grant came to an end in July.
The charity has more than 4,000 volunteers, who cost £50 to recruit and train. A call is free, day or night, but each costs The Silver Line £5.
This week it received a massive boost when it teamed up with the NHS which is donating empty office space so the charity can expand to meet soaring demand. Thousands of health service workers have come forward to volunteer to take calls in their spare time.
It was a poem about loneliness written by war hero Bob Lowe that inspired Dame Esther to launch her charity. Bob, 97, of New Milton, Hants, penned Ode To Kath about his childhood sweetheart and beloved wife who was taken from him by dementia in 2011.
He has since become one of the charity’s ambassadors.
Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid, a 48-year-old mother of three, is a big fan. She said: “The Silver Line is such an incredible charity. It’s a lifeline, not just a helpline, for millions of older people.
“Loneliness is so much more painful for older people and almost 70 per cent of calls to the helpline take place at night-time.
“It’s such a wonderful charity, doing such amazing work.”
● To give £3 a month, text GIVE to 70660. For a one-off donation of £10, text SILVER to 70660. By phone, call 020 7224 2020, or go online to www. thesilverline.org.uk. Cheques payable to The Silver Line should be sent to The Silver Line Express Campaign, Trade Tower, Calico Row, London SW11 3YH