The nation’s most iconic ‘forces sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn has personally written to the team and residents at a Sanctuary Care home in Stourport-on-Severn.
When the veteran singer celebrated her centenary recently, among the many gifts she received was a beautiful handmade card crafted by Ravenhurst Residential Care Home’s care assistant Nicki Bell and a beautiful poem written by the home’s resident poet Rita Hardiman.
Nicki and Rita were overwhelmed when they received something unexpected back in the post – a letter from Dame Vera Lynn thanking them for their “kind words” and signed photographs and postcards of the nation’s favourite sweetheart.
The letter from the singer, who is best known for White Cliffs of Dover and We’ll Meet Again, said she felt “very touched” to receive the card and poem, saying the duo were “both clearly very talented”.
Rita, who is 71 years old said: “I was thrilled when we heard from such a busy lady like Dame Vera – I think she’s a wonderful lady and I was delighted to write a poem for her birthday.”
Nicki added: “It was a pleasure to make the card and it was lovely to receive a reply back from her thanking us for our kind words.”
The poem written by Rita is enclosed below:
The Forces Sweetheart
Vera you sang in the war
Keeping the soldiers going
With your songs so well known
Your concern for them showing
You were the forces sweetheart
And loved by everyone
Encouraging all the men
So the battles could be won
There’ll be blue birds over
The White Cliffs of Dover
Became a special anthem
For every British soldier
Then many years later
You became a top 10 hit
Surprisingly at over 90
You had a second success with it
We live in a care home
And all know of you
The words of your lovely songs
Are remembered by quite a few
And now you’re one hundred
And from all of us here
We send congratulations
Because we hold you very dear
