RESIDENTS in a quiet Ryedale village will be able to keep their fingers on the world's pulse thanks to a new Internet caf.

Terrington, near Malton, is set to be buzzing once the new facility is up and running.

The Internet caf, which has been set up at the back of the village post office, is believed to be the first of its kind in a North Yorkshire village.

Ian Hughes, Terrington postmaster, and the man behind the project, hopes villagers young and old will learn some new skills.

"Terrington is a quiet village and it's not the sort of place you associate with the world web," he said.

"But I thought there was no reason why the people in this village shouldn't be connected.

"A lot of people - especially the older members of the community - have lived here all their lives and would never dream of going on the Internet. I'm hoping we can change that."

The idea came about at the height of the foot and mouth crisis when there was a lack of summer visitors.

"We started to think, what could we do with the rooms at the back of the caf which would be useful for locals and visitors," he said.

"We sent a survey round the village and there was a great response. This was just one of many ideas.

"Already one villager, who runs his own computing business, is planning to hold classes in website design once a week."

The facility will open to the public on Tuesday, March 26, but there will be an open day for villagers the previous Sunday.

"People are welcome to come in and have a cup of tea and a chat just like any other tea shop. If they want they have the option of having a look on the Internet," said Mr Hughes.

The project has been part-funded by the Countryside Agency's Vital Villages fund and Mr Hughes himself. "We have used the funding to improve facilities in the shop, so it's not just about the Internet caf," he said.

Updated: 09:08 Monday, March 18, 2002