Wrexham Police vs Hollyoaks cast: how to watch the North Wales Police charity football match

In an effort to highlight the "positive side" of policing, Welsh police officers will swap their uniforms for sports gear to play a charity football match against cast members of Hollyoaks.

The match between the soap stars and Wrexham Police FC, a squad of off-duty officers from North Wales Police, is scheduled to kick-off on Sunday (22 October).

Team member Sgt Dave Smith explained how the match came about to the PA news agency. He said that he initially contacted Nick Pickard, who portrays Tony Hutchinson in the Channel 4 programme, and things progressed from there.

“He’s a really lovely guy and was quite forthcoming and said we’ll play you,” he said. "The majority of the male cast from Hollyoaks will be playing, like Jamie Lomas who plays Warren (Fox) and Owen Warner who plays Romeo Nightingale – they’re all onboard and looking forward to it.”

Money raised is to go towards the Blue Light Card Foundation, which funds projects to support the mental wellbeing of blue light staff including the police, ambulance services, hospital staff and the armed services.

He said the reason Wrexham Police FC was set up in January 2022 was to “show that behind our uniform, we are just like anyone else”. The team has raised over £17,000 for local causes and charities since its inception.

Smith said as the team come from different departments and work in different roles, they do not get the opportunity to train together, but many do their own preparation and some – none at all. For us, the score on Sunday is irrelevant.

“Ultimately, the main thing is to raise awareness and money for a good cause to help others and make a positive difference. Obviously, it would be nice to win, but if we don’t it’s not the end of the world.”

How can I watch the game?

Unfortunately, the match is not scheduled to be broadcast on TV, so if you want to catch the action, you'll have to attend in person.

The 90-minute match begins at 4pm on Sunday 22 October at Airbus Broughton, with around 500 expected to attend.

The fundraising page can be found at justgiving.com/page/wrexham-police-fc-vs-hollyoaks.