I often tell people that I’m not as stupid as I look, and last weekend I went deep undercover at a family wedding.

I wasn’t wearing a fake moustache, but instead I was testing out some interesting research that hit my desk a few days earlier.

The report proudly heralded that the UK now had Europe’s largest number of Internet users aged 55 and over – a rapidly growing legion of silver surfers now regularly using the Internet as part of their daily lives. An impressive 55 per cent of this age group said they were connected, considerably ahead of the 36 per cent average in the Europe.

Sometimes the numbers can be massaged to prove a point, so I selflessly took it upon myself to talk to those at the wedding in the silver surfer age group – just to find out what was making a growing number of older Wiltshire residents go online.

Starting with my uncle, I found he got connected to the internet following encouragement from his son. It had taken him a while to get used to using a computer and the internet – but he now enjoyed getting the latest news and more information about subjects he was interested in.

A female guest told me she has recently gone online because her youngest daughter who lived away from the county had recently had a baby – and she was able to keep in touch with developments through services like Skype – the free video calling software, and Facebook.

As her confidence grew she started dipping her toes into the world of online shopping, and had proudly received her first grocery delivery from a supermarket.

As I moved from table to table at the reception, it was largely the same story – the Internet hadn’t come naturally, but with support from a helping hand – it got easier. One guest told me he had saved himself £1,000 by using the Internet to find deals for household utilities and insurance policies. He will spend that money by booking his next holiday online.

I left the wedding with a rosy glow, and it wasn’t the lovely wine or champagne.

Having spent a large chunk of my life telling people not to be terrified of technology – that advice really seems to be taking hold, even my Uncle Jeff.

Maybe more of us with online savvy can find time to help others.