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This year's Christmas lights in Port Talbot will be improved thanks to movie star Michael Sheen.

Last year, the town's Christmas tree was at the centre of a controversy, with some saying it was a "disgrace" as the tree looked "sad" and "dead".

Ever since 2014, when Neath Port Talbot Council decided it would no longer fund Christmas decorations in the borough, it has been up to the locals themselves to arrange their decorations.

In Port Talbot , they rely on volunteers and donations to make the square look as festive as possible, with Aberavon Rugby Club taking the lead.

From raising less than £500 through GoFundMe in previous years, this year's appeal has been extremely successful after Michael Sheen offered to match every pound donated to the Christmas lights appeal.

His tweet on Thursday evening was shared widely and meant that donations had passed £5,000 by Saturday morning.

Chris Davies, Aberavon's RFC commercial and marketing manager, said the GoFundMe page had three high-profile donations, totalling £5,000, from Michael Sheen, British author Neil Gaiman and composer David Arnold.

(Image: Sharon Freeguard (Twitter))

"It has gone crazy since he [Michael Sheen] said he would step in," Mr Davies said. "We are just trying to improve the Christmas spirit and we need more lights.

"A town without Christmas lights is quite a grim and dark place.

"It would be demoralising for families and children in the local community not to have any of that Christmas sparkle in Port Talbot - it would be devastating."

Their hope is the lights would give families somewhere to go, making the community feel alive.

"We also hope that the Christmas lights will increase the footfall in the town," Mr Davies added. "We want to thank every person that has donated and most of all, Michael Sheen, who is our local hero.

"He has been involved in so many community events and we love him - we are very thankful to him."

The money raised will cover the installation and removal of the lights, which will be installed on Forge Road and Station Road, Mr Davies continued.

This year's display will include new lights - including a Welcome to Port Talbot sign - and a new tree installed bu the transport hub, near to where the Port Talbot Banksy is.

He said there hadn't been a year without Christmas lights in the town, but they were on a small scale, relying on private individual donations and from local businesses as the GoFundMe page would raise less than £500.

Aberavon Councillor Nigel Hunt said all six Councillors in Aberavon and Port Talbot wards contributed to the lights through their members funds.

He added: "It will be a real uplifting morale boost for the community to have tidy Christmas illuminations and we are all very grateful for Michael’s offer of match funding to the appeal.

"He truly still has a passion for his hometown."

The date for the Christmas lights switch on has not yet been decided. To keep up-to-date with the latest details, please visit Aberavon's RFC Facebook page .