PEOPLE who have friends or relatives living in other parts of the country or the world can keep in touch this Christmas as Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS) has launched an Internet Café at its base in Tavistock.

TASS is offering the use of computers and the internet on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings at the Anchorage Centre in Tavistock starting December 1, where people can use the computers to email friends and family in this country or abroad, write letters and visit websites.

Andy Lyle, manager of TASS, said: 'We are receiving more and more enquiries about support for relatives from all parts of the UK and as far away as Australia and Canada, and this new service will help keep families in touch with one another using the internet, especially over the Christmas period.

'We also realise that more and more information is now available on websites and we hope older people will be able to find out more about what they are entitled to and what other services are available to them. Computers are still something older people try to avoid and the majority do not own, and we hope this will be a way of supporting them in being able to use a computer to talk to friends and access information.'

TASS also runs one-to-one computer classes on a Monday afternoon.

To find out more about the new service or if anyone has a laptop they are willing to donate, please contact Andy on 01822 616958, or visit the Anchorage Centre.