A BUS driver is hoping some of his wildlife photos will appear on national television.

Gil Laverick has spent 18 months building up a portfolio of his work, which centres on wildlife and scenes in nature.

He is now keeping his fingers crossed that some of his pictures may be used by BBC's Countryfile.

The Arriva driver, who lives in Stockton, spends as much time as he can on his hobby.

During the summer, he visited St Kilda, just off the west coast of Scotland, to take shots of the flora and fauna.

He said: "The place brought back some wonderful memories. It's even more spectacular than when I was stationed there with the Army in the early 1960s.

"My favourite shot in the collection is one I took of a sunrise while standing on the pier at Saltburn.

"It's a spontaneous picture and really is quite stunning."

Mr Laverick was taught the basics of photography by a friend he met in Germany in his army days, but it is only recently that he has become serious about the hobby.

Liz Esnouf, commercial director for Arriva North-East, said: "On behalf of all his colleagues here at Arriva North-East, I'd like to wish Gil all the best for getting his pictures published - let's hope we see some on Countryfile."

Published: 29/12/2004