Dame Esther's appeal to support the Blackpool charity that provides a lifeline for vulnerable elderly people

The Blackpool based charity that provides the only friendly voice that some lonely, elderly people hear every day, got a thank you visit from its founder, former TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen.
Dame Esther Rantzen visiting The Silver Line offices in Blackpool. The charity is appealing for help in its mission to provide a friendly voice and help to thousands of isolated and lovely elderly people in the countryDame Esther Rantzen visiting The Silver Line offices in Blackpool. The charity is appealing for help in its mission to provide a friendly voice and help to thousands of isolated and lovely elderly people in the country
Dame Esther Rantzen visiting The Silver Line offices in Blackpool. The charity is appealing for help in its mission to provide a friendly voice and help to thousands of isolated and lovely elderly people in the country

But The Silver Line telephone lifeline, which takes more than 10,500 calls a week from lonely, worried and vulnerable older people, is itself in need of help as it struggles to compete for donations with other more high profile or urgent response charities.

Dame Esther said: “Some elderly people will not speak to a single person on Christmas Day – that is a heartbreaking thought.”

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Last Christmas the charity was unable to take 5,000 calls due to having insufficient resources to meet demand.

Dame Esther Rantzen visiting The Silver Line offices in Blackpool. The charity is appealing for help in its mission to provide a friendly voice and help to thousands of isolated and lovely elderly people in the countryDame Esther Rantzen visiting The Silver Line offices in Blackpool. The charity is appealing for help in its mission to provide a friendly voice and help to thousands of isolated and lovely elderly people in the country
Dame Esther Rantzen visiting The Silver Line offices in Blackpool. The charity is appealing for help in its mission to provide a friendly voice and help to thousands of isolated and lovely elderly people in the country

Christmas is the busiest time of year for team of staff in Blackpool and volunteer befrienders all around the country as people living alone find it difficult to cope during the traditional

family time.

Last year they spoke to 2,200 older people on Christmas Day, around 50 per cent higher than its average daily total of 1,500 calls.

Today Dame Esther issued a plea: “Can I appeal to Gazette readers to help us reach out this Christmas to the isolated and lonely older people who need and deserve our friendship and our help and who will not be talking to anybody else apart form the Silver Line this Christmas season.

Dame Esther Rantzen, founder and President of the Silver Line charity talking with employee Lisa Grupman about her work taking telephone calls from older peopleDame Esther Rantzen, founder and President of the Silver Line charity talking with employee Lisa Grupman about her work taking telephone calls from older people
Dame Esther Rantzen, founder and President of the Silver Line charity talking with employee Lisa Grupman about her work taking telephone calls from older people
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“Other services may close down at this time of year, but here in Blackpool where our devoted team will be spending many hours day and night to ensure that the lonely and vulnerable elderly still feel valued and that someone cares about them.”

And it is not just donations that is needed to reduce loneliness of our increasingly elderly population.

The charity is looking for more staff to work part-time at weekends, evenings and at night at the Squires Gate offices.

Dame Esther said: “I am here to wish a very merry Christmas and a happy new year to the staff here in Blackpool, where The Silver Line, is based where the helpline is open 24/7 including Christmas Day, Christmas Even, New Year’s Eve and New Years Day.

The Silver Line charity needs  donations and new staff to work weekends and nights. Dame Esther Rantzen visited the Blackpool office to thank staff for their efforts in being there for lonely older peopleThe Silver Line charity needs  donations and new staff to work weekends and nights. Dame Esther Rantzen visited the Blackpool office to thank staff for their efforts in being there for lonely older people
The Silver Line charity needs donations and new staff to work weekends and nights. Dame Esther Rantzen visited the Blackpool office to thank staff for their efforts in being there for lonely older people
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“And we get huge demand from people who are not, even at Christmas time, talking to anyone else, so it’s a really important service the staff provide.

“All around the country we have around 3,000 volunteers who will be working at Christmas, sometimes, making calls to people they regularly talk to because they are Silver Line friends, sometimes making calls, as I will be making calls on Christmas Day, to people who have asked for a call because they have no-one to speak to.

“I suppose we are all living older and so many are living independently, which sounds great, but actually is very isolating and can make people feel very lonely.

“There was a time when families lived together, when communities stayed together, that isn’t true any more.

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“They have memories of very happy Christmases in the past, but now are completely alone and it’s very tough.

“I go where the conversation takes me, I ask about their lives and any happy memories we can share. I leave them to tell me what they want to talk about.

“Sometimes about a pet, or gardening memorable meals.

“Maybe about Strictly! Obviously with the Blackpool connections to the Tower Ballroom. I have danced here, not very memorably, rather fast a quick waltz and out ... poor Anton!

“Sometimes people get out of practice. Conversation takes practice, if you’re not talking to anyone regularly it can be difficult.

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"There are two or three people I have got to know quite well and I will certainly be talking to them over Christmas and what strikes me about them is their courage. Very uncomplaining.

"One is 87, she’s the youngest, then a couple in their mid 90s. They never talk about problems in their lives. Financially it’s very tough, people don’t really give as often to charities for older people.

"The top charities are those working with dogs and cancer patients. I like dogs and I care about cancer, but it would be nice if there was an older persons’ charity in the top 20 in Great Britain.

“We are here in Blackpool, we are local to you, we are your charity, we urgently need resources, we need funds if you go to our website will see how easy it is to give. More and more people need us, last Christmas we were not able to keep up with the demand.”