Every Tuesday and Thursday, elderly members of the African and Caribbean Elders (ACE) day centre meet up in a former beauty salon to send e-mails or go on Facebook.

For three days a week between Tuesday and Thursday, up to 100 regulars use the day centre at Mary Seacole Court, an extra-care complex of 40 flats for people aged 55 and over in Little Horton, not far from St Luke’s Hospital.

Day centre co-ordinator Tim Shelton said the suite contains eight computers that are used regularly by 15 to 20 people.

“It’s basic IT skills, word processing, Facebook, e-mails,” said co-ordinator Tim Shelton, who has worked at the day centre for the last three years on behalf of the charity Age UK Bradford and District.

“Everyone’s got their own purpose. Some like to browse the internet. Others come to contact people back in Jamaica or Dominica,” he added.

Mr Shelton was talking in the wake of a nationwide survey by Age UK suggesting that computer use among people aged 65 and over was much greater in the south than in the north.

David Mortimer, of Age UK, said older people with lower wealth, those living alone and those in relatively worse health are least likely to access internet services.

“It is concerning that in some parts of the country, more than twice as many older people are able to access the benefits of being online than in other areas, particularly as there appears to be a north/south divide around internet use among older people,” he added.

While Bradford isn’t Surrey, elderly people at this end of the country are at least as aware of computer technology and the increasing part it plays in daily life as their counterparts south of Watford.

Bradford Council hosts Learn My Way, a basic computer course held in its libraries and has done for several years. These have been very popular with older people.

A spokesman said more than 60 retired people had signed up for the courses since April.

Learn My Way is a set of short online courses run by UK Online, which help people to learn how to use the keyboard, mouse, e-mail and internet.

Computer training courses for people aged 50-plus were set up at the Sunbridge Road office of in 2003 by Alan Magson.

For the past four years Peter Wright has been IT Co-ordinator for Age UK in the Bradford District.

He said over the past ten years, more than 2,600 people had taken part in the organisation’s courses, doing one our a week over 12 weeks.

“We have about 50 learners at the moment with a waiting list of another 50 to 60. People prefer one-to-one tuition, but sometimes a husband and wife want the same helper,” said Peter.

“I don’t have any experience of the south, but up here most elderly people are nervous about going on computers. They are frightened of deleting things or breaking something.

“There’s also the cost of setting up a computer – at £300 to £400 it’s a bit of an investment for someone who doesn’t know what they are going to get out of it. If the screen goes blank they tend to panic.”

Free tutoring takes place in a room on the second floor of the AGE UK office on Sunbridge Road. There are six computers and enough room for volunteers and learners coming and going between 10am and 3pm Monday to Friday.

“There’s never been a time we have been drumming our fingers on the desk waiting for people to turn up. People are more interested in the internet now thanks to television and grandchildren. They know quite a bit about what’s on offer.

“I think it’s very important because more things are online these days – medical records, prescriptions, shopping. If you can’t get out and about the internet brings life to you through social media – Facebook, Twitter and Skype.

“Skype is very popular, a lot of people want that. Their children move to Australia or Canada, so they want to know how to use it.

“The fact that they can see and hear them is marvellous, and most of the time it’s freely available. All you need is a web-cam for your computer. We bought ours for £11,” he added.