Schooldays may not have seemed like the happiest days of your life - at least, at the time.

But chances are that if you were asked to name one person who had helped you most in your life, it could well turn out to be that inspirational teacher.

A new survey by Tetra Pak UK Ltd reveals if people were offered the chance to say thank you to just one person, most would choose their favourite teacher.

Over half of people - 59 per cent of the population - admitted they had been inspired or motivated by a teacher when they were at school.

But it found that only six per cent of people had actually got around to thanking their favourite teacher.

Most shoppers in York who spoke to the Evening Press could bring to mind the name of their favourite teacher in seconds.

For Paul Barker, 33, from Skelton, the name was Mr Scaife, who was headteacher at Skelton Primary School.

"He was so good with children and always happy and jolly and always helped you out," he said.

"I think he moved to Huntington and I've seen him twice and he still says hello."

Gail Naylor, from Appleton Roebuck, said she was so inspired by her history teacher at Fulford School, York, Mr Cheetham, that she went on to study it at Bradford University.

Now an education officer, Gail, 45, said: "I really loved history and he enthused me about it."

Albert Stone, 62, said his best subject had been maths and he was taught it in a class of 50 at St Andrew's Primary School in Hessle Road, Hull by Mr Madsen.

Mr Stone, from Woodthorpe, York, left school at 15 and has just retired after 30 years as a sales rep, and said he was now thinking of taking up maths again at college.

Mother and daughter Dorothy and Julie Stacey, from Rufforth, both remembered individual teachers.

Housewife Dorothy, 52, said Mr Taylor, headmaster of Acomb County Primary School, had been very kind.

And Julie, 20, a student nurse in Newcastle, said she still heard from Mr Beck, deputy head at Manor CE School, York, who had supported her throughout school.

Fourteen-year-old Richard Mahon, from Haxby, said he had a special reason to remember his teachers.

Richard has had the fatigue syndrome ME for three years and currently attends Joseph Rowntree School for one hour a day.

But he and his mother Rita said he wanted to thank Miss Mountain at Oaken Grove Primary School in Haxby for all her understanding when he first became ill.Oaken Grove headteacher Mrs Vanessa Wigley said today that Miss Mountain was an "inspirational teacher".

She said: "I think if you talk to anybody they always have one teacher they can remember."

And Manor CE School head Peter Smith said: "It is good to know people do remember their teachers and I think teachers do have an enormous influence on children."

Tetra Pak is inviting nominations for the Environmental Teaching in Primary Schools award - write to Focused Learning, PO Box 5218, Derby, DL73 1YZ.

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