A NEW website giving graduates the chance to meet up with their old university pals has been launched by a Preston-born computer buff.

Since going 'live' on Thursday, January 3, the free website -- www.graduamates.co.uk -- has had more than 100 hits from people registering up and down the country.

It is the brainchild of Michael Duffy, whose retired father, John, was a Regimental Sergeant Major at Fulwood Barracks, and includes all the UK's higher education colleges including Preston's University of Central Lancashire.

In the next six months Michael, who lives in Southport, is hoping to help reunite more than 60,000 former students to the new site -- and net some of the country's estimated six million graduates.

"A figure of 500,000 registered users would give us a really worthwhile website that would be doing a lot of good out there," said Michael. "These type of sites have historically spread by word of mouth and users passing on the web address in e-mails to friends, so we're hoping to benefit from similar behaviour. Especially as we are free to use."

"The website covers the former student population because student days are a very special time for many people and also a period in their lives when some of their best ever friendships are formed.

"But then following graduation, due to mobility factors, student friends are dispersed all around the country and they lose touch as the years slip by."

After losing contact with most of his former Manchester University friends since graduating in the 1980s Michael is also hoping the site will help rekindle old friendships for himself as well.

"I have lost touch with pretty much everyone now. So at least the website will help me for one," he said.

Michael, who is married to Amanda and has a nine-year-old son Joshua, also runs the inthedoghouse.co.uk site -- an innovative website which reminds husbands and boyfriends of birthdays and anniversaries with links to florists.

His latest Internet invention is the third project he has set up after being made redundant from his job with

the Co-op at its head office in Rochdale in the late 80s.

Michael's first site -- retail.careers.co.uk -- attracted many major retail advertisers before it was sold for a small fortune just over a year ago. Now he is working on a new cyber project -- youarefab.co.uk -- aimed at people who want to publicise the birth, death or marriage of a family member or friend.

Take a look at the site...