Michael Sheen backs club supported by Ryan Reynolds

Michael Sheen donated £5,000 to the grassroots club

Actor Michael Sheen has donated £5,000 to a grassroots football and futsal club which described the money as "a lifeline".

Chairman of FC United of Wrexham Andrew Ruscoe believes the donation will allow it to keep operating for the next year.

In January, the club lost a sponsor after it accepted a donation from controversial social media personality Tristan Tate.

The club returned the donation and apologised.

It runs a senior men's side and junior teams for boys and girls.

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Frost/Nixon and Good Omens star Sheen is the latest celebrity to support the club.

It also received donations from actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who own Wrexham AFC.

Sheen made the donation through the club's GoFundMe page, which is now close to achieving its goal of raising £12,000.

Mr Ruscoe said the club had been financially struggling.

"We've been heavily trying to raise funds and last night, out of the blue, we checked the donations page because we were getting quite a few notifications," he said.

"We haven't talked to Michael or nothing so we were absolutely so grateful to him."

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are owners of Wrexham AFC

The donation is particularly "meaningful" as the club has been struggling and lost a sponsor in January when it received a donation from controversial social media personality Tristan Tate, which the club swiftly returned, Mr Ruscoe said.

"Prior to this, the club had been struggling because we use a sports facility to basically run our futsal and the costs have increased dramatically to £700 a month on average," he said.

"Because we live in a multiple deprivation area, some months we struggle to break even so we always rely on things like grants and donations."

Tristan Tate and his brother Andrew were charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women in Romania and are set to be extradited to the UK.

Both brothers both deny the accusations against them.

Mr Ruscoe said they were not aware of Mr Tate's background when they accepted the donation.