WHEN Jennie Wilson was growing up in the 1930s, songs like Embraceable You and I Got Rhythm by the Gershwin brothers were popular in England's dance halls and ballrooms.
The hits in the charts these days are a little different and perhaps not to her usual taste, but that's not enough to stop the 90-year-old making a bid for stardom.
Music-lover Mrs Wilson and her friend Margaret Hall, 85, both residents of The Beeches care home in Leatherhead, have recorded a single in the hope of breaking into the top 40.
Weeks of rehearsals built up to the recording of the song, called See Yourself, at sister care home The Ridgemount, in Banstead, last month, with about 30 other singers and musicians from Anchor care homes in Surrey, Hampshire and Brighton.
"When I was a teenager, I used to sing the latest tunes with my group of friends," said Mrs Wilson.
"Music is a great activity to do together – it cements friendships. I also used to sing when I was a child with my family.
"My dad played the mandolin, and my older brother, sister and I would sing along. It was something we enjoyed doing together.
"This was the first time I had performed in public and I enjoyed every minute of it."
The lyrics of the Anchor Community Band's record were shaped by answers given to a questionnaire about the life experiences of older people from Leatherhead and the rest of England.
More than 350 people took part in 21 recordings for the single across the country. The track was written by Anchor manager Carl Martin.
"It's a really powerful song because the words are telling younger people we are exactly the same as them, but just a bit older," said Mrs Wilson.
"And people my age will be able to relate to the lyrics, too. The tune is very catchy."
The Beeches activity co-ordinator Asa Lehane-Johnson has been in charge of organising Surrey residents' contribution to the record. He said: "For the majority of the older people in the Anchor Community Band this was the first time they performed in front of a microphone.
"It was such an exciting experience for everyone."
All the money raised from sales of the record will be donated to Contact the Elderly, a national charity which aims to combat loneliness and isolation faced by older people who live alone.
Mr Lehane-Johnson added: "The older people have worked so hard that I hope people of Leatherhead and Dorking will support them by downloading or buying the record when it is released and raise money for such a worthwhile cause."
See Yourself will be available to download from Amazon and iTunes from April 22.
