Wrexham police's football team is playing a fundraising match in memory of a "deeply missed" officer who died suddenly. 

PC Ryan Donaldson, originally from Buckley, was serving with the Wrexham Rural policing team when, tragically, he died suddenly in December, 2022.

On March 12, Wrexham Police FC will be playing against Supporting Charities Football Club at the Airbus' FC's ground (The Airfield) in memory of PC Donaldson, who died aged 31.

Supporting Charities FC is made up of a mixture of football fans, celebrities and ex-professional footballers who play to raise funds for charities.

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The match kicks off at 4.30pm and will be raising money for the Police Treatment Centres. Every day police officers are suffering injuries and illnesses that have an impact on their work to protect local communities. The Police Treatment Centres is a registered charity which provides vital treatment and support to help these officers return to better health and get back to work sooner.

A JustGiving page has been set up to help the fundraiser. You can donate to it at https://bit.ly/3HnGdFq.

With his side having raised over £1,000 for North Wales hospices from previous fixtures, Sgt Dave Smith hopes their charitable endeavours will continue in earnest.

He said: “First and foremost, this game is being arranged to honour the memory of PC Donaldson, who was highly respected and well-liked by his colleagues. We feel it’s important to pay tribute to him and for us to remember that we’ve lost a member of the policing family.

“The fact that we’ve managed to raise important funds for local charities previously gives us the motivation to do it again for other good causes.

“Police Treatment Centres are a good example of that. They offer rehabilitation services for officers with physical injuries, but just as important is their Psychological Wellbeing programme, which offers support to those with stress-related conditions, anxiety and depression."

He added: “We approached the Supporting Charities FC organisation and we were delighted that they’ve taken us up on our offer. It’s a game we’re all really looking forward to and I hope we get a good-sized crowd along on the day to show their support.”

A spokesperson for the North Wales Police Federation said: "We are proud to support this fantastic event raising money for a very worthwhile cause in memory of a deeply missed colleague. Please come along and support where you can."

Following his death, PC Donaldson's family said in tribute to him: "Ryan was a much loved son and brother who will be greatly missed.

"He was extremely proud to serve with North Wales Police, he loved being a police officer and as a family we are all so proud of what he achieved."