BURNLEY'S "Lowry of film-making" is to feature in a BBC documentary.

The story of the late Sam Hanna, a former grammar school teacher who became a pioneer of educational films, will form part of the channel's Inside Out programme on Monday, at 7.30pm.

The father-of-three, who lived in Prestwich Street and died in 1996 at the age of 93, recognised that traditional skills were dying out and decided to record them for posterity.

His films include clay-pipe making, charcoal burning, clog-making, brush-making, coopering and tanning. He also filmed the local VE Day celebrations and visits to Burnley by several members of the Royal Family.

Sam, a woodwork teacher at Abel Street School, also filmed the only known footage of the Manchester United "Busby Babes" at Turf Moor.

For his films he was dubbed "the Lowry of film-making" by the late Brian Redhead, who became a cult figure himself with the BBC Radio Four current affairs programme Today.

Mr Hanna's most famous film of the Home Guard during World War Two is now in the safe-keeping of the Imperial War Museum.

Last year members of his family, including his son Bob, met the Mayor of Burnley, Councillor Lilian Clark, at a special reception at Towneley Hall, which was held to mark what would have been his 100th birthday.

Bob, 71, who now lives in Sussex, said: "Looking back for almost 70 years has not been difficult for me, simply because so many things that have happened in my life were photographed, initially with an Eastman's Box Brownie camera and later with 9.5 movie camera which was acquired from collecting cigarette coupons.

"Whether the family liked it or not, my father's interest in photography became part of our everyday lives."

Sam Hanna's father was a gold prospector who failed to find his fortune and settled instead for digging coal from a Burnley mine.

Sam started work at the age of 12 as a half-timer in the textile mills and at 13 became indentured as a furniture designer and cabinet maker, before moving into teaching.

His films of crafts and trades were used to help his pupils better understand local people and their work.

He referred to his films as "better than chalk and talk" in the classroom, the title he later gave to his autobiography.

Shortly before his death in 1996 Sam had a film theatre named in his honour at Queen Street Mill and was introduced to Prince Charles.

He was also made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, the only person to receive the honour that year.