The ruler of Dubai has helped a small Cornish village buy its Methodist chapel after residents wrote requesting his help.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's donation has allowed locals in Godolphin Cross near Helston to purchase the church, according to Cornwall Live.

The idea for the bold appeal came from one villager Valerie Wallace as a last ditch attempt with the group struggling to raise the £90,000 needed to buy the building.

The village shares a name with the world famous Godolphin stables, founded by the sheikh, and when he responded to their emails residents thought it was a hoax.

'We thought nothing of it and then we began to get phone calls from Dubai,' Richard Mckie from the Godolphin Cross Community Association said.

'We thought we were being hoaxed but it was no hoax.'

It is not known how much the sheikh contributed but it was enough to enable to villagers to raise the total.

Enboldened by their success the villages have now launched a new appeal to raise the £300,000 needed to refurbish the chapel.

They plan to use the building as a community hall after the Methodist Church announced in 2015 it was selling off the building.

'We can't thank Sheikh Mohammed enough and we'd love to see him in this neck of the woods any time. He would be assured of a very warm welcome,' said Mckie.

'I think this shows that he's interested in the history and values this Cornish link. He has put his money to help a community staring down the barrel of having nowhere to go for community events. We are thinking of using part of the chapel to explain about the link.'