CANVEY residents showed true community spirit after joining forces to help a homeless woman get off the streets.

The woman, called Antoinette, had been moved on by police on the island as she tried to find a place to shelter from the wind and rain on Friday night.

A passing motorist spotted her walking the streets of the island and took her home to keep her warm, while turning to Canvey Island Then and Now for help.

The Facebook group, which now has more than 12,000 members, was founded in September 2012 by former prison officer Jo Stapleton, 51.

As word spread about Antoinette, kind-hearted people called around local homeless shelters to find somewhere for her to spend the night.

After discovering there was space available at a facility in Romford, residents pledged cash to help pay for a taxi.

Within minutes, £50 had been raised.

Layne Hendricks, Citan administrator, said: “The heart of this group is the largest I’ve ever seen.

“A massive well done to everyone involved and praying Antoinette will now get the help she needs to turn her life around.

“Citan members are the best.”

A member of the group offered to drive the 46-mile round-trip to the homeless hostel, and Citan will nowdonate the £50 raised to a charity which helps rough-sleepers.

Mrs Stapleton originally set up the group to enable residents to celebrate the history and their memories of the island, but it has now become a lifeline to those in need.

The Echo revealed earlier this month that Citan had formally teamed up with Canvey Coastguard to help find missing people, after information on the Facebook groups helped to find an autistic schoolboy and a diabetic teenager.

Members of the group also pledged an £800 reward after Wispa, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross, was left for dog.

He was discovered in an alleyway between First Avenue and Edith Close starving and unable to stand up, but he is now on the road to recovery.

The RSPCA is investigating a number of leads thanks to Canvey residents.