BRITONS over the age of 50 are increasingly keeping up to date with technology and fashion, thanks to gadgets and trendy clothes being "handed up" by their children and grandchildren.
A survey of almost 10,000 over-50s found these "hand-me-ups" are helping to overcome the technology divide between generations.
The research, carried out on behalf of Saga Home Insurance, found one in four gets to grips with smartphones as members of the younger generation upgrade to newer models and pass on their old phones.
Also, one in ten gets a laptop as a kind of reverse heirloom with the same number also getting first refusal on used televisions.
Fashion, it seems, is another thing which younger people are keen to share with the older generation.
A fifth of over-50s said they have received clothes from young relatives, rising to more than a quarter of women, who are clearly keeping trim enough to fit into the clothes of younger women. One in every ten women say they follow in the footsteps of younger members of the family as they are given their shoes.
Additionally, six per cent of people aged between 50 and 59 said they had received iPads or other tablet computers from younger relatives.
The results echoed Saga's findings that 30 per cent more people aged over 50 browsed the company's website on tablets/iPads over Christmas, indicating that many had received tablets as seasonal gifts.
Saga Services chief executive Roger Ramsden said: "So many older people are well-informed about technology and trends thanks to the internet, social media and news coverage.
"But our research shows that people are also helped by family members passing on their iPhones, laptops, designer clothes and much more.
"These help many people stay abreast of technological advances and ensure they can be as clued up as those a fraction of their age."
