Heartbreaking songs to elderly inspire movie

A singer who has made a career from the sentimental songs of a hundred years ago is to have her story turned into a film.

Patricia Hammond, pictured, is working with Damian Jones, producer of The Iron Lady, to create a movie inspired by her work singing the music of a bygone era in old people's and nursing homes.

The London-based producer read an article Hammond wrote about her heart-warming and sometimes heartbreaking encounters with the elderly. He has commissioned a screenplay backed by funding from the British Film Institute. "There was something touching and inspirational about Patricia's original article," he said. "Then I met her and saw her in person, this angel that lights up the room." Hammond, 37, who was the daughter of log salvagers in Canada but now lives in Hanwell, west London, said she was happy for a "proper actress" to play her and hopes there is "a proper emphasis on the music because it is something that has been a life-long passion". She released her first album after being snapped up by Nathan Graves who signed Jamie Cullum.