A PROJECT for the homeless run by a Chippenham arts charity and funded by Spice Girl Mel C, celebrated its successful first year at a conference in London last week.

Kandu Arts for Sustainable Development has been touring the country with its No Place Home project since January, working with homeless people through music and drama in major cities.

And there are now plans to bring the project to Chippenham, where homelessness is a little recognized problem.

On Friday, homeless people from across Britain took to the stage to talk about how No Place Home had changed their lives. Many have started work, enrolled at college and found a place to stay since becoming involved with the project.

Guest of honour Melanie Chisholm, better known as Sporty Spice, said she was taken aback to see the results for herself.

After hearing about the project from Kandu director Ed Deedigan, Melanie donated royalties amounting to about $50,000 from her single If That Were Me to the project.

She told the Gazette: "This is exactly what I envisaged for the song. But I can't even describe how much better everything that's come of it has been.

"I really believe in the song and I wanted it to be a charity song. I suppose I thought it might get a few sympathy buys.

"But it's done so much more than that and become so much more personal.

"It's easy enough to give someone your spare change, but to be able to do something like this and follow it, and see the benefits and the changes it has made to people's lives is great."

Homeless people joined charities and representatives from the Government's Department of Culture, Media and Sport, at Kilburn's Tricycle Theatre in London for the event.

Nick Moran, who starred in the blockbuster movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and is one of Kandu's patrons, also showed up to lend his support.