TAVISTOCK residents will be the latest to benefit from Devon County Council?s pioneering information technology roadshow ?Devon in Touch?.

Visitors to the touring roadshow will get instant access to a world of information aboard a purpose-built vehicle designed by council employees.

Equipped with the latest technology the IT bus gives people in rural communities the chance to use the internet and experience the benefits of online access.

The roadshow?s next stop will be the Chapel Street car park in Tavistock on Thursday October 14 where it will be open between noon and 6pm with everyone welcome to drop in.

The roadshow began its tour last September and has so far visited more than 50 communities across the county with on board staff delighted at the response they?ve received.

Manager Lisa Wilson said: ?We have had some wonderful appreciative comments and many people have said the trial session has persuaded them computers can play a useful role in their lives.?

She said they were particularly pleased at the number of older people keen to experience the fun of surfing the web, many of whom had tried sending e-mails to friends and relatives at home and abroad.

The roadshow is being run as a Devon County Council service in association with Radio Devon and the Devon Fire and Rescue Service who have seen the vehicle equipped with six computers for free use by the public - the vehicle even has a facility to allow Radio Devon to broadcast live programmes from the places it visits.

Experts will also be on hand from Devon Information on Services for Children, Advisory Conciliatory and Arbitration Service, Citizens? Advice Bureau, Inland Revenue and Jobcentre Plus.