All the groups responded to the computer training enthusiastically, if in some cases a little warily! Once the jargon had been explained, manipulation of the mouse mastered and everyone had been reassured that

a) they were unlikley to break anything and

b) when something does go wrong it is just as likely that the computer is playing up as that the user has made a mistake

people were much happier to 'have a go' and soon discovered the potential both the Internet and e-mail have to enhance their lives.

It is fair to say that not all the participants have continued to use the computer in the months following the training; some were more interested in simply understanding more about what their families, especially their grandchildren, are talking about these days than in actively engaging with the technology themselves. However, at the other end of the spectrum, a number of the participants have been spurred on to buy their own computers and pursue more extensive training courses.

Feedback received from the participants suggest that email has proved more popular than the Internet, enabling people to communicate with friends and family around the world, exchanging pictures of loved ones and spanning time zones more conveniently and cheaply than can be done by conventional means.

The project generated considerable media interest, resulting in articles in the Sunday Times, Daily Express and Daily Mail and in depth report on BBC South Today.

As a result of this pilot McCarthy and Stone are considering the provision of Internet access in all their new retirement developments using the latest cable TV 'set top box' technololgy.