A PART in a TV soap is the dream of many actors but three Warrington youngsters have already made their debut in Hollyoaks and Coronation Street.

Three-year-old Karis Sharkey, of Locking Stumps, has been playing Holly in Hollyoaks for the past 14 months.

She is one of the main characters and plays the child of single mum, Cindy.

Karis's mother, Collette, and her father, Paul, take Karis to the studios in Chester and Liverpool, - sometimes up to four times a week - where Karis is the centre of attention.

"She loves it. Everyone is good with her" said Collette.

Most of the time, it's easy to get Karis to do what's needed. Ask her to say 'I want some juice' and she says it. Often, what she does may only take minutes.

"She's good," said Colette.

Karis was registered with Eurokids International Casting and Model Agency, Warrington, two years ago. Collette got the idea when friends suggested it.

What Karis earns is put into a bank account for her.

"It will come in useful when she's grown up" said Collette.

"I don't know if she will want to continue acting when she's older - that will be up to her."

Lucy Norris, aged seven, of Old Hall, joined the cast of Coronation Street as an extra when several of the street's stars filmed a holiday in Blackpool.

Lucy was in a line up of people waiting to take part in a talent contest. It was a non-speaking part and her first time in a soap, although she has worked with the shopping chanel on satellite TV.

An only child, Lucy goes to St Philip's School, Westbrook. She attends drama workshops at Eurokids and does ballet and modern dancing at the Gautier-Price School of Dancing at Westbrook.

Her parents, Helen and Paul, encourage her without pushing her. Not that she needs it. She loves acting.

"We always ask her if she wants to do what she's offered - she's a natural performer," said Helen.

Ben Devlin, 16, of Croft, has been an extra in Coronation Street twice. He too featured in the Street stars' recent trip to Blackpool, being filmed on the steps of the Winter Gardens with Vera Duckworth and as an onlooker when Gary Mallett rescued a little boy from the sea.

Ben, another Eurokids member and a pupil at Culcheth High School, has received a letter from Coronation Street staff saying they were pleased with his work and that they will be inviting him again.

He has also done work in TV commercials.

Ben's mother, Amanda, a relief pub manager and his father, Philip, who has his own joinery business, both accompany Ben to filming.

He enjoys the work, but doesn't let it get in the way of his school commitments.

Said Amanda: "Ben puts studying first. Coronation Street were very good. He did three days with them and they the chose days when he didn't have exams. He was doing his GCSEs at the time."

With ambitions to be an architect, Ben works hard at school and is going on to study for A levels.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.