IF YOU, or someone you know, celebrates a 65th birthday this month and begins receiving a pension, we have some sites for you to peruse. As the population of Britain continues to age, there are some very useful websites to help people make the most of their retirement.

Some may still regard the Internet as a place for student and technophiles, but people of all ages are now online. To prove it, there are now dozens of websites dedicated to the more mature Internet user.

The Silversurfers website is one of the tried and tested. It has excellent links to a huge number of UK websites for the over-50s and retired people.

The Later Life website is another great one for the over-50s, and is full of features from travel and health to forums where you can chat with others.

Billed as life in the past lane', the Potatos site is one worth a visit. Potatos are People Over Thirty Acting Twenty One. It has a varied menu of options, and promises to be more entertaining as time passes by. Be careful though, you might get into a story-telling session and find the whole day has sped past.

Those who are turning 65 this year will have been some of the very last people to enter the National Service. If you're trying to regain contact with wartime colleagues, the Forces Reunited website claims to be the largest UK database of ex-forces personnel with more than 100,000 members. There are discussion forums, a chat room and a calendar of upcoming reunions.

The Service Pals website provides a similar service and operates in partnership with the Royal British Legion. It claims to be the most popular Forces Friend Finder service, with more than 1,000 new members joining each week.

Many people continue to work past the age of retirement, with the over-65s comprising almost a quarter of the working population. However, if you are drawing your pension, there's plenty of information online to explain how to do so.

The Pension Service, part of the Government's Department for Work and Pensions, provides plenty of practical information for those approaching retirement, explaining the state pension and giving details on how to apply. If you're over 65, there's advice and resources for making the most of your money, from claiming Cold Weather payments to receiving a free bus pass.

If you're looking to put your free time to good use, Volunteer Development England can help you to become a volunteer, using your skills and passing on your experience to others.

To discover what volunteer opportunities exist in your area, visit the Do It website and simply enter your postcode. You can also specify the area and days you're available to find a voluntary position to suit you.

In our area, The Centre for Voluntary Organisations based in Stricklandgate House, Kendal, is also a good place to enquire for volunteer opportunities.

As people live longer and over-65s make up an increasing proportion of the British population, an ever-wider array of websites and services will be ensuring that silver-surfers are well served online.