The Swindon Silver Surfers' Club

The Swindon Silver Surfers' Club meets every Thursday between 4pm and 6pm at the Lawn Community Centre in the town, where over 50s can take their first steps online. Age is no barrier and as Douglas Cheeseman 89 commented: "This is a technical age and you need to know what's going on these days."

Douglas explained: "You can find out many things that you can't get otherwise.

"For instance I may want to find out what the weather's going to be in the next couple of weeks and going on the net you can get this.

"So I feel it's necessary. Although I haven't bothered very much about it in the past and I know it's a bit late in life now, it's never too late to learn."

Swindon Silver Surfers tutor Jo Dunningham is full of praise for the project, which has been running for about a year. Jo said: "I think it's essential for older people to go online. It's a great way for them to keep in touch with their friends and families and if they're not part of it they get left behind."

Jo is one of a team of professional tutors who are there to assist and guide older learners in online activities such as emails, eBay and Facebook, shopping online or building a website.

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