HE was born in the shadow of the Rowntree factory and lived in York all his life.

But John Skelton's life took a completely new twist when he got married to a Slovakian woman in 1996 when she was chosen as his guide during a visit to Slovakia because she was the only English speaker.

And now Mr Skelton, a former member of the Park Grove Residents' Association who tirelessly campaigned about traffic and litter issues in York, is becoming a television star in the central European state.

Mr Skelton, 53, who lived in The Groves until his marriage, has made a series of documentaries on Slovakia which are now being broadcast on national television there.

He said: "It's a wonderful country. I had this image of dirty chimneys and filthy places and it was quite a shock to find these wonderful castles going back to the 12th century.

"There are wonderful woods and forests, it's really, really beautiful. There are problems but we have our own here too."

In the series of programmes, which have been recorded on video as well as being aired on TV, Mr Skelton discovers golden eagles, bears and wolves in a forest.

He speaks English with a Slovak translation spoken over the top.

He was approached to do the series by the producer because he taught English to his daughter. Mr Skelton said: "His films have been heavily censored all his life by the communists and he wanted to prove he could make good films without interference from the Government."

John, who teaches English to the Slovak business community, is also trying to set up links with English teaching establishments in York with a mind to getting some Slovakian people to visit and brush up their language skills.

He said: "The people desperately need good English and for that they have to come to England."

Updated: 10:06 Saturday, February 03, 2001