Martha makes bingo hall a web Mecca: Unlikely setting as dotcom queen launches scheme to teach net skills

Dotcom pioneer Martha Lane Fox today launched a new internet centre at Mecca Bingo, giving members free online access and lessons on what they can do.

She said she hoped the scheme would be the first of many to give people free internet access on the high street.

"So many companies only want to talk to you online, and for a lot of people that just isn't possible. Getting people online is really about communication - seeing people Skype their family free, shop around for deals and email their friends and family is amazing," Miss Lane Fox said.

The scheme is part of Race Online 2012, Lane Fox's project to help the 9.2million adults in Britain who do not have internet access.

"This was an absolutely fabulous idea, one of the keys to getting people online is to go where they are," she said.

"We are talking to bingo halls, pubs and everywhere else people go, and we're so pleased this has finally happened. People's reaction has been amazing. It's not about computers and the internet, it's about people having fun. We really want to do more of the same, this is really a first step to show this idea works, and we hope there will be a lot more in the near future."

Mark Jones, managing director of Mecca Bingo, said he was hoping to roll the idea out to more centres this year.

He said: "Our bingo clubs really are at the centre of local communities so they offer a perfect environment for these types of sessions.

"People can be daunted by the prospect of using computers or even accessing the internet but learning how to do this in a fun and informal setting while among friends, we think, will really strike a chord and take away that element of trepidation." Brian Scott, 70, from Romford, was among the first to take one of the lessons run by UK Online.

"It's been really terrific," he said. "The girls took me through how everything works, and I've been able to make a video Skype call to my family in New Zealand, which was wonderful. I've also been learning about the Olympics, and was able to apply for tickets online.

"I've got a laptop at home, but I've never really been sure how to use it."