Comedian Johnny Vegas is going green for The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – and wants as many people as possible to join in the fundraising fun.

The Benidorm star is encouraging as many people as possible to go green as part of a £15 million appeal to help build Liverpool’s first specialist cancer hospital.

And Johnny knows first hand how crucial the project is to transform cancer care in the region because his dad Lol Pennington was treated at the Wirral centre.

“When you hear the word cancer it takes you to a place you don’t want to go to but we are so lucky to have The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre on our doorstep,” he explained.

“I’m hoping everyone gets behind this campaign to raise £15million for a brand new cancer hospital in Liverpool and it all starts by Going Green for Clatterbridge from 4-12 February.”

Schools and businesses can get involved by paying £1 to dress in green, bake green cakes or even tip green gunge on their boss - for the price of a generous donation.

And dozens of landmark buildings in Merseyside and Cheshire will be turning green to support the fundraising drive, from February 6.

The new hospital in Liverpool is being built as part of a £157million plan to transform cancer care which will also see £8million invested in The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Wirral.

People are encouraged to tweet their support using the hash tag #letsgogreen and posting pictures of themselves wearing green, sporting green wigs and even joining Johnny Vegas in a spot of face painting.

Katrina Bury, head of The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, said: “One in two of us will develop cancer over our lifetime so this new hospital is vitally important for the people of Merseyside and Cheshire.

“We are only going to get one chance in our lifetime to build a brand new facility like this, which will transform cancer care for generations to come. We hope everyone will get behind us by going green and help to build a cancer hospital that we can all be proud of."