AN EAST Lancashire TV star is preparing to put his best foot forward by walking Hadrian’s Wall for charity.

Former Brookside and Merseybeat actor John McArdle will trek the 87 miles from Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria to Wallsend in Tyneside in July to raise thousands of pounds for the East Lancashire Hospice.

John, who is married to Burnley-born actress Kathy Jamieson, was inspired to attempt the walk after a friend of theirs died at the Blackburn hospice. John, who lives in Bolton-by-Bowland, is no stranger to charity endurance events, having completed the gruelling Four Peaks challenge for the NSPCC in the past.

He said: “Our friend Keith Brunskill died at the East Lancashire Hospice and the way he was treated was great.

“They need funding all the time and I have always wanted to walk Hadrian’s Wall so I thought I would merge the two.”

John, 60, expects to complete the cross-country trip in around three to four days and will camp at night in fields.

He said: “I have climbed the Four Peaks in the past but I think this will be tougher. It is a long way and is by no means flat so it will be quite a challenge, but I just want to raise as much as I can for the hospice.”John shot to fame as Billy Corkhill in Brookside and has since appeared in The Bill and Heartbeat.

He has just finished filming for BBC hospital drama Casualty, and next month he will star in the Liverpool FC-themed play One Night in Instanbul at the Liverpool Empire theatre, before taking it to Dublin in June.

Meanwhile, wife Kathy is well known for roles in Merseybeat and Emmerdale.

Sharon Crymble, fundraising manager at the East Lancashire Hospice, said: “We really rely on the support of our community and people like John to continue to offer a service to local people.

“We are delighted he is doing this for us.”

Anyone who wants to donate should go to www.justgiving.com/john-mcardle.