ACTRESS Kierston Wareing mucked in to help at a Westcliff homeless charity.

Miss Wareing, 33, from Leigh, was at the HARP Homeless Action Resource Project day centre in Valkyrie Road, yesterday, a charity she has supported for 15 years.

The actress, who has starred in Essex crime dramas Bonded by Blood and Martina Cole’s the Take, popped into the day centre to meet volunteers.

She got involved with the charity after living next door to its chief fundraiser, Stephen Colyer, in Cliff Parade, Leigh.

She said: “I didn’t realise the extent of what it offers. There are so many activities, like crafts, and there is food and clothing. It’s emphasised the good work the charity does.”

The charity is working to raise the final £400,000 needed to combine its day centre, in Valkyrie Road, and the night shelter, in York Road, Southend.

The aim is to move both services into the Darnley Hotel, York Road. The overall cost of the project is £1.25million.

Miss Wareing, who can currently be seen in BBC drama the Shadow Line alongside Christopher Eccleston, added: “It’s really inspiring seeing what the charity does, and it is a great cause to support.”