A 75-year-old grandmother who set up a counselling practice and created a website to promote it was being awarded a Masters degree today.

Elsie Richardson also had to undergo two operations during her course, and overcome a computer glitch which led to her losing her 15,000-word dissertation and having to re-create it.

Mother-of-three Mrs Richardson said: ''I set my heart on doing this Masters course. I've had some problems along the way but it only makes my achievement much sweeter.''

Mrs Richardson, who was widowed in 1983, decided to start studying after retiring from the Prudential insurance firm, where she was an administrator.

She said: ''One day I was sat looking out of the window and watching rubbish on the television and I thought to myself 'This isn't living'.

''My youngest daughter Nicola told me to get my brain working.''

She started by studying the trade union movement part-time at Northumbria University, then took a degree in Human Organisations, graduating in 1999.

She then immediately signed up for her Masters degree, in Guidance and Counselling.

Before starting her studies Mrs Richardson had never used a computer but she is now so accomplished that she has created her own website to promote her fledgling counselling practice.

In her spare time Mrs Richardson, who lives in Heaton, Newcastle, is a volunteer with the bereavement charity Cruse.

''It's just my way of paying something back,'' she said.

She said a computer problem almost caused her to give up studying when her PC crashed and she lost weeks of work, including her 15,000-word dissertation.

But her daughter Nicola forced her to go on and by working eight hours a day for eight days, she wrote up her notes to make good the loss.

''It was absolutely soul-destroying but overcoming these difficulties made it so much sweeter in the end,'' she said.

Mrs Richardson said she was a firm believer in life-long learning, and added that she thoroughly enjoyed mixing with younger students, many of whom she now counted as close friends.

''A lot of people criticise the youngsters but the ones I know and have stayed friends with are wonderful,'' she said.

''They took me to some funny places and I have learnt a few funny words but it has been an experience and I wouldn't have missed it for anything.''

Course tutor Peter Bevan said: ''Elsie showed great tenacity and determination throughout the course.

''She is an outstanding example of someone who has shown remarkable dedication to lifelong learning.''