STARS from Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks helped to raise cash for three charities at a football match in Dovercourt.

Actors from the hit show took on Harwich and Parkeston Football Club to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, Cardiac Risk in the Young (Cry) and the Alder Hey Imagine Appeal.

The charity match was held in memory of Marcus Armstrong, who died suddenly, aged 28, from heart failure two years ago.

His father Tony Armstrong, a former Harwich and Parkeston player and chairman, said it is not yet known how much has been raised, but said more than 1,700 people descended upon the ground on Saturday to watch the spectacle, which finished 5-1 to Harwich and Parkeston.

Hollyoaks goalscorer Ricky Whittle, who plays Calvin Valentine in the soap, said the team plays every week to raise cash for charity.

Another charity match, in aid of Cry, will take place on July 27 between a Showbiz XI and the East Anglian legends, made up from former Norwich and Ipswich players.