The star of Last of the Summer Wine and the voice of Wallace in Wallace & Gromit is poised to make a return visit to Chesterfield's Pomegranate Theatre for the first time in 58 years.

His appearance to promote his autobiography on September 22 coincides with the launch of a £70,000 appeal.

Backing the appeal, Peter said: "Theatres in the provinces lead a very precarious existence. Chesterfield is not a very big town but if every member of the population gave £1, the appeal would make £150,000.

The kindness shown to him by Chesterfield people in 1949 made a lasting impression on Peter.

"It had a great heart and was a great town to be in. The people in Chesterfield were marvellous," he said.

Although it was more than half a century ago since his last visit, 86-year-old Peter can still recall some of the town's characters. "Nan and Bob Green, who used to run the tobacconists close to the theatre, were particularly kind to me."

And he recalls a director called Herbert Prentice who used to oversee repertory companies at the Civic, as the Pomegranate was known then. "He always had a music stand and a script on the stand. He would stand with one foot hooked behind his knee — he looked just like a penguin."