A SOAP star is swapping the Yorkshire Dales for Chorley as she prepares to join the staff of a drama school.

Melanie Ash, currently starring as Colleen King in ITV soap Emmerdale, is to pass on tips from the stage and screen to students at Stagecoach Theatre Arts School.

More than 60 pupils attend the school, which provides training for budding young actors at Parklands High School every Saturday.

Principal Lorraine Kearney said: "Melanie did some work for our school last term and successfully coached a number of our students through their exams.

"She is a very talented actress and we are delighted that she has joined our team.

Melanie, who like many actors will not reveal her age, lives in Preston and regularly makes the 70-mile trip to studios in Leeds to film her scenes as Colleen.

After working as a singer and dancer at numerous holiday camps, she spent three years touring the UK in plays including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

She got her TV break when she starred as the lead in Channel Four's Bedsitcom. She has also tutored in colleges and schools across the region.

Melanie said: "I am looking forward to my work in Chorley and am expecting to have a successful and happy term."

Stagecoach has now been up and running in Chorley for 18 months. Most of the children attend for fun, but around ten per cent work as professional actors.

Lorraine said: "Some have recently been put forward to audition for the stage show of The King and I in Liverpool, and there are all kinds of things we do here.