As Corrie’s Hayley Cropper it’s been her trademark for almost 15 years.

Now Accrington-born actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, pictured, is to auction off her character’s famous red anorak for a charity close to her heart - as she quits the cobbles for good.

It is hoped the coat – reportedly taken off the rails at Dorothy Perkins after Hayley added it to her wardrobe – will raise thousands of pounds for the Meningitis Trust's Believe and Achieve Appeal.

The £1m appeal was set up in memory of Alex Williams, 18, who died last year after a stroke linked to his 10-year battle against the disease.

The inspirational teenager devoted his life to raising awareness of meningitis, winning many friends along the way.

Former Moorhead High School pupil Julie, who first met the Ashton-Under-Lyne youngster on a charity trip to Lapland, said: “We got on really well - he was just somebody people immediately liked.

“He had a really hard time when he was very little and it was only later that he started to gain confidence again and started to achieve great things in his life, it was wonderful to see that blossom.

“He was a really special friend of mine and I wanted to do something really big and important for him and carry on his legacy.”

Julie, 43, will film her final scenes on Coronation Street later this year as Hayley loses her battle with pancreatic cancer.

She said she’ll be sad to see her go but feels privileged to be part of such a important storyline alongside David Neilson, her on-screen hubby Roy. The mum-of-two added: “Pancreatic cancer is such a forgotten illness. Of all cancers it’s got the smallest survival rate which hasn't changed in 40 years and it gets just one percent of cancer funding.

“I’ve had hundreds of messages from people who have lost people close to them who have died of it.

“It’s a real honour to be part of it, to be doing something that affects so many people’s lives.”