A TONBRIDGE am-dram actor will be showcasing more than just his stage skills when he competes in a 10k charity run – wearing just a mankini.

Andrew Hall, a member of the Little Bridge theatre company, will squeeze himself into the lime green one piece – made famous by comic Sacha Baron Cohen's character Borat – to run in this month's Knole Park race in Sevenoaks.

But the 25-year-old is not too worried about having to sprint for nearly an hour in the ultra-revealing swimsuit because he has competed in one before.

As part of his "Winter of Pain" fundraising campaign for military charity, Combat Stress, Mr Hall completed British Military Fitness's 10k run wearing a £5 mankini, which he will don again next Sunday as he undertakes another challenge.

"It's not as uncomfortable as you'd think," he said, "I had a lot of people telling me talcum powder and Vaseline should be applied, which I didn't.

"It was fairly cold – that was the biggest problem – that and the mud."

So with chaffing not posing a threat is he worried about revealing more than he should?

Mr Hall confessed spectators got more than they bargained for when he first wore the suit, but said he could not do much to prevent extra exposure.

The teaching assistant at Hayesbrook School said: "It did happen a couple of times and one of the times I didn't quite notice and one of the stewards, an ex-marine, told me to put it away, as it were.

"Not much really can be done, just check every so often that it's still in place."

Mr Hall described wearing the mankini as "breezy" and "liberating" but admitted he was aware of how he looked amongst the other more conventionally attired runners.

He added: "When I first stepped out even the people I went with, they knew I was doing it, and they were still looking absolutely aghast and there was about 500 people there.

"Waiting to start the race I felt very self-conscious.

"But when I got started I felt more sorry for the people running around me."

Mr Hall, described as "brave but mad" for his unconventional running outfit, decided to compete in a mankini to drum up sponsorship.

"I thought it would be something that would get people's attention – and it did," he said. "You get an extra lot of cheers."

Since October, he has competed in the BMF 10k run, the Helly Hansen adventure race, the Tough Guy assault course and the Tunbridge Wells Half-Marathon and has raised more than £670.

He hopes Knole Park, his last challenge, will help net his desired £1,000 target.

And while Mr Hall will be taking a well-deserved rest after hanging up his trainers, what will become of his skimpy sponsorship weapon?

"I think I'll have to build a small shrine to it, put it together with all the photos," he said.

To sponsor Mr Hall visit www.justgiving.com/Andy-Hall-Winter-Of-Pain