Ref. 27746-127A martial arts instructor who has trained Bruce Lee wannabees on national television is bringing his skills to Swindon.

Clive Elliott, 35, is spreading the word to help others toughen up.

Clive took up martial arts 28 years ago and is one of few instructors trained in the wartime combat art, defendo.

As the name suggests the technique is an ideal form of self-defence, which was once used to train spies, including James Bond's creator Ian Flemming.

Clive, the director of Defendo UK, has recently returned from a trip to Scotland where he trained with Dan Inosanto, one of Bruce Lee's former top students.

Now he is helping Swindonians become fit, healthy and a force to be reckoned with weekly martial arts sessions at Salt Way Primary School, in Middleleaze. He said: "Defendo was created by a man called Bill Underwood.

He was only 5ft 2ins so the system was built around leverage and balance displacement."

Mr Underwood moved to Canada in 1910 and joined the Royal Montreal Regiment.

After a visit to the Pentagon, much of Bill's work became classified, including training at the Allied Forces spy school Camp X. He died in 1986, aged 90.

Clive, who worked for Sky One's Fight School series and is a columnist for Martial Arts Illustrated magazine, added: "I will be running workshops in Swindon after Christmas and would like to hear from people who are interested in taking it up."

The training sessions, on Mondays and Thursdays from 7.15pm to 9pm, cost £5.50.

Call Clive on 07767 607170 for information.