A pensioner is looking forward to "meeting" his great granddaughter for the first time via a hi-tech video link being bought by an Otley group with lottery funding.

The scheme has been set up by the town's umbrella group for older people to help them talk and see relatives across the globe via a video linked to the Internet.

And Otley Action for Older People (OAOP) is also holding classes in the New Year for people to find out how to get the most from new technology.

Among them will be Les Pope, 79, from Otley, whose three-year-old great granddaughter Dina lives in Norway. Although Mr Pope has been sent pictures of her via the Internet, he has never met her.

And as long as his family in Norway can access similar equipment, the video Internet link in Otley will enable him to talk face-to-face with Dina and his other relatives, including son Martin.

Mr Pope already exchanges e-mails with the Norwegian branch of the family as well as other relations in Austria and Luxembourg and friends in Australia, France and Germany.

He said: "It will be splendid - 50 years ago they were saying one day you'd be able to go into a phone box and see the person you were talking to and now it's happening. I don't like travelling by plane and it's almost impossible to travel anywhere in Norway without using one so I haven't met Dina yet, I've only seen pictures."

He added: "I just hope I don't have to wear make-up like on TV!"

Stephanie Turner, project co-ordinator with OAOP, said: "Quite a few of our clients have relatives abroad and it will depend on whether they have the facilities as well, but quite a few have never seen their grandchildren."

OAOP received £4,723 from the Awards for All Millennium Festival Awards section of the National Lottery. Almost £3,000 of it will go towards a new computer and Internet video link and the rest towards social events for next year.

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