An actor is using paper cups, crisp wrappers, and cigarette packets strewn in Chatham High Street to create a fashion project aimed at highlighting the plight of Medway’s homeless.

And Donald Waugh, one of the original stars of TV’s Grange Hill and stage hits such as Cats, knows all about their problems.

Seven years ago, after a bad business investment left him almost penniless, he turned to drink and ended up on the street.

But now his Pavement2Catwalk project is “harnessing creativity for recovery for what he calls the “visibly invisible” in our midst.

Mr Waugh, 52, travels from his London home to work with clients at Turning Point, a Chatham-based charity which helps recovering drug addicts and alcoholics.

One of his aims is to prevent a recurrence of what happened to Michael McCluskey and a man known only as Greg, the two homeless men who died sleeping rough in the town centre.

Fittingly, Mr Waugh launched awareness of his forthcoming fashion project, showcasing items made out of rubbish and recycled items, by paying his respects to Mr McCluskey who perished in a shop doorway in the High Street.

He said: “In this day and age this should not be happening anywhere. It’s like these people become invisible and people walk past them.

“It can happen to anyone, not just those with drink and drugs problems. Doctors, bank managers, smart people – all falling to bits.”

Mr Waugh was made aware of Turning Point after a representative approached him at a fashion show he was helping to run a few months ago. Already involved in the national homeless charity Crisis in London, he now pays weekly visits to their base where he teaches his art workshop.

Using a mannequin, students are encouraged to use their talent to create a garment with recycled materials. The design is then transferred onto a fabric and turned into clothing.

He said “The core of P2C is fusing different types of people together, who would not normally connect to share an experience. It’s breaking down barriers to create something magical.

Pavement2Catwalk forms part of Chatham Fashion Week based at the Nucleus Arts Centre in the High Street between Thursday, February 16, and Wednesday, February 22.

The preview show will be on the opening day, between 6-8pm and will include work from those who attend a weekly crafts session at the centre as well as the Turning Point students. It is free and all are welcome.

Mr Waugh is an actor, singer and dancer who started his professional career in the movie Bugsy Malone, playing the character Snake Eyes.

He also starred in the TV series Grange Hill, as schoolboy Hughes, as well as being in the original cast of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. He has worked with top performers from Bob Marley to Richard Burton.