Actress Charlotte Riley says the nursery she co-founded has changed lives after receiving an award.

The WonderWorks nursery at Leavesden’s Warner Bros Studios opened with the help of Riley to provide the first dedicated childcare facility at a UK film or TV studio.

At the Production Guild Awards event hosted at The Grove on March 26, Riley and Warner Bros senior vice president Emily Stillman were recognised with the ‘diversity and inclusion champion award’.

Riley said: “It has been amazing to hear from parents that having the nursery onsite has made it easier for them to work.

“We’ve had testimonials from people who wouldn’t have been able to return to the job they love if we weren’t there, and that is so heart-warming because we don’t want anyone, particularly women, to have to give up the career they have trained for and love.”

She said it was an “honour” to know that her passion is helping to “start meaningful conversations” and spark “wider change”.

Riley has previously spoken out that women in the film industry often have to choose between advancing their careers or a child, as there tends to be a lack of support.

Recalling her time in the TV-series Dark Heart in 2016, she said that there were so many women who “worked their backsides off”, and many feared “if I want to be a mum, it’s just not going to work”.

She said the nursery – which welcomes 30 full-time children and ten part-time - is important for those in the industry who aren’t commanding huge salaries, who have to work to short contracts and move between studio and location shoots.