Britain’s only 24-hour telephone helpline for isolated OAPs today <> joins forces with the UK’s largest charity for older people to meet soaring demand for its services. The epidemic of loneliness among pensioners is now so great one in every five of the 10,500 calls it receives every month goes unanswered. The amalgamation has secured its long-term future meaning every call will be answered while the charity receives the financial backing to expand

It has also ended the lifelong campaigner’s personal torment over whether her visionary project – which is backed by the Daily Express – would be forced to close.

Speaking exclusively Dame Esther, 79, who set up The Silver Line in 2013, said: “There have been heartbreaking times when I wondered if it could survive.

“In less than six years we have proved how crucial we are to isolated, vulnerable older people – it has literally become a lifeline. I couldn’t bear the idea our charity would cease to exist, none of our team could. I know they had sleepless nights, wouldn’t take holidays and worked incredibly long hours just to keep it going. But as many charities have found in these tough times, dedication and compassion are not enough to guarantee survival.”

The Silver Line will keep its name with the charity becoming a subsidiary of Age UK. It echoes what happened to Childline, the charity Dame Esther set up in 1986, which merged with the NSPCC in 2005 in a move she described as “the best decision we ever made”.

Dame Esther’s charity, which is supported by this newspaper’s Respect for the Elderly crusade and whose patron is the Duchess of Cornwall, is funded entirely by donations from the public and has struggled financially in recent years.

It uses 4,000 trained volunteers to make friendship calls to pensioners who may not have had a conversation with anyone for weeks.

The service costs £4million a year to run, but a five-year £10million lottery grant came to an end last year plunging it into a crisis.

Without a regular donations of cash to replace lottery money it was unable to expand to meet demand and had to make cuts.

Last year the Big Lottery Fund was asked to continue funding the service to enable it to provide extra staff to met rocketing demand, but the request was refused, prompting big-hearted Express readers to help the charity in its time of need.

Since its launch The Silver Line has received more than 3million calls with 75 per cent coming when other services are closed.

Judith Stansfield, 70, started volunteering for the charity as a befriender after the death of her 25-year-old daughter Clare Louise from drug and alcohol addiction.

She said: “A lot of the calls are heartbreaking but it is worth it to hear them say, ‘You have made my day’ at the end. You may speak to someone who is in tears at the start of the conversation but by the end they are laughing along with you. This is not about counselling, it’s about friendship and conversation. I like helping other people and by talking to them it has helped me, too.”

After we revealed the plight of the charity and the scale of loneliness gripping every part of the UK our army of kind-hearted readers dug deep and donated tens of thousands of pounds.

Dame Esther said: “At one of our most fragile times I turned to the readers of the Express for help, because of the many campaigns on behalf of older people, and they responded incredibly generously. The challenge is the demand for our helpline is so great – 10,500 calls every month.

“The difference we make to older people’s lives is so profound as one told me, ‘I am not exaggerating when I say my life has changed so much for the better since The Silver Line was started. When I am heavy-hearted I know I can pick up my phone and someone will listen.’

“But meeting the demand and finding the funds to answer every call has been a constant, exhausting challenge. So it is wonderful news that for the first time since our national launch in 2013 I can say with confidence The Silver Line will not only survive but will be able to reach out to still more isolated and vulnerable older people who have nobody else to listen and chat with. We are safe because we have been adopted by the wonderful charity for older people Age UK.”

There are now thought to be at least 1.2million chronically lonely older people in the UK with 500,000 older people going at least five days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone. More than half of all people aged 75 and over live alone.

Steph Harland, chief executive of Age UK, said: “We are very excited about what this partnership means for older people. Age UK’s focus is on helping the older people who need us most, including the millions of older people experiencing loneliness and isolation. We can’t do this alone. By joining forces with The Silver Line we’ll strengthen our complementary services with the aim of helping more older people while making every penny of funding stretch as far as we can.”

* The Silver Line free helpline telephone number remains the same 0800 4 70 80 90. For details on how to donate visit www.thesilverline.org.uk

Comment by Esther Rantzen

In less than six years we have proved how crucial we are to isolated, vulnerable older people.

Many charities have found in these tough times that dedication and compassion are not enough to guarantee survival.

At one of our most fragile times I turned to readers of the Daily Express for help and they responded incredibly generously.

The difference we make to older people’s lives is so profound. As one told me: “My life has changed so much for the better since The Silver Line was started.

“When I am heavy-hearted I know I can pick up my phone and someone will listen.”

But meeting the demand and finding the funds to answer every call has been a constant, exhausting challenge.

So it is wonderful news that, for the first time since our national launch in November 2013, I can say with confidence The Silver Line will not only survive, but will be able to reach out to still more isolated and vulnerable older people who have nobody else to listen and chat with.

Today we at The Silver Line are handing our 24-hour helpline, our army of volunteers and dedicated staff to Age UK who will ensure it has a strong, bright future.

Age UK chief executive Steph Harland told me: “The Silver Line has put loneliness on the map. If you did not exist, we would have to invent you.”

So please, dear readers, don’t stop supporting The Silver Line – we still need you.

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