Obituary for Dame Esther Rantzen

Age UK Camden is saddened to hear the news of the death of our former patron, Dame Esther Rantzen.

Esther was a true inspiration and spent her life working tirelessly to help others. Esther’s dedication and commitment to older people was unrivalled and her legacy will carry on through Silver Line Helpline, which she founded in 2012 and which has been delivered by the national Age UK charity since 2019 and which has now answered over 4 million calls from older people.

Esther was also an active patron of Age UK Camden, and supported our work in a range of ways, including being a star of our Literary Festival in March 2020 at St Marks Church in Primrose Hill and a regular visitor at our Henderson Court Day Centre in Hampstead. Following a Skype chat with the Centre members in October 2021 our Community Engagement Officer, Maria Robinson, thanked Esther by saying, “Your honesty around your own experiences of being alone, struck a chord. There seemed to be a great sense of pride within the group after the event. The fact that people’s experiences and opinions were of interest to you was of great significance. Your act of listening was in itself an acknowledgement of people’s value and status as older people in our society, with opinions and voices which require amplifying.”

Our condolences are with Esther’s family and friends at this difficult time.