Set up by broadcaster, the charity is going from strength to strength

Playlist for Life, which was founded by broadcaster and writer Sally Magnusson, has won £1.6m lottery funding.

The charity, which supports people with dementia, will use the cash to grow its existing network of community Help Points to 1,500 across the UK.

Magnusson created the charity after the death of her mother who suffered from the illness.

It uses music playlist to help people with dementia recount and retrace memories.

She said: “I founded Playlist for Life to share with other families something we had to discover by accident when caring for my mother: personal music helps dementia.

“We are grateful to the National Lottery for their faith in us and excited about the work to come.”

Playlist for Life says that homes trained by the charity consistently report a reduction in medication for residents with dementia, by up to 60%.