MP appeals on behalf of town's "Silver Surfers"

Computers that were already in place in Eversley Road when class tutor Shirley Earl arrived eight years ago still do sterling service, thanks to club technician George Thomas.

But the battle to keep them going at a useful pace gets more difficult. And ageing IT students find when they attempt to put into practice at home what they have learned at the Senior Citizens' Club their own computers have modern software which differs from that of the club machines.

Computer classes are a Senior Citizens' success story.

The classes combine the friendly atmosphere of a social club with a determination by people of mature years not to let the convenience of 21st Century technology leave them trailing behind younger people.

An Observer feature on the classes last year led to a sudden increase in applications to join.

Together with colleagues Kathy Viggers, Gale Thorn, Derek Young, Pat Devitt and Brian Wharton, Shirley Earl has managed to eliminate what had been a growing waiting list of senior citizens keen to join the ranks of the "silver sufers."

Class sizes are six to seven - ensuring individual attention.

By adding classes to cope with the demand, Shirley and her friends are now running no fewer than eight a week.

The classes cope with all stages of experience from beginners to those doing photographic work.

Shirley says the classeshave evolved since last year. To seek a place on a class, applicants have first to be Senior Citizens' Club members.

Shirley says that members have evolved from being regarded by the rest of the club as some kind of "elite" to a true partnership group - producing greetings cards for club members and running off quiz question forms.

During Friday's brief visit before attending to constituency matters, Gregory Barker chatted with the likes of Pat Jaggard and Bill Bowyer about why they enjoy the classes and what they have learned.

He told the Observer: "I had heard about it and wanted to see it for myself.

"! am really passionate about making learning available to everyone of all ages.

"The Internet and e-mails have a huge amount to offer older people and enable people in retirement to lead interesting and fulfilled lives.

"It is brilliant if it allows them to keep in touch with family and friends."

Shirley is delighted with the success of the classes. But the bank of nine computers, many of them donated to the club years ago, are ageing faster than the members...

"They are incredibly old. If it was not for George Thomas our technician we would not manage to keep them going. He is absolutely brilliant.

"As it is, the machines are desperately slow.

"They were here eight years ago when I came.

"We do get some lovely generous people donating equipment to us. That lovely printer is an example.

"We are still using Windows '98 here, though it has been built on and built on.

"The trouble is that people get confident on that here and when they get home they find they are working on XP or even Vista and it is different."

When the MP heard that Shirley plans to submit an Awards For All bid on behalf of the club, the MP immediately offered to write in support.

But he also feels that local businesses might have a solution.

He told the Observer: "Surely there must be companies in Bexhill who are upgrading their computer systems and would be willing to offer their old equipment to Shirley and the club?

"They would be put to very good use here."

Shirley explained how good that use would be.

"We have only had two ladies in eight years who could not master it.

"You can teach kids and get a negative attitude. These are so keen.

"Some when they arrive are too shy to ask for help. But you can tell from the hunch of their shoulders that they are stuck on something and you go over and help.

"Gradually, over time they gain confidence. One lady had no confidence at all when she started. She was afraid to 'click' in case she broke something. Now she experiments and is selling her pictures."