Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds outlined three goals when their takeover of Wrexham was sealed in February 2021 on a cold night playing Altrincham.
"Our goal is to grow the team, return it to the EFL in front of increased attendances at an improved stadium while making a positive difference to the wider community in Wrexham," they said.
New players arrived, they’ve now delivered promotion after 15 years in front of sell-out crowds and a brand new 5,500-capacity Kop end is expected to be ready for the 2024-25 season.
And yet it is the final mark of their goal, 'making a positive difference', that both goes under the radar but leaves the biggest legacy.
The Hollywood actors have put together a team to put smiles on the faces of thousands in north Wales but it is acts of service that have transformed the fortunes of fans less fortunate.
Here, we take a look back through some of the pair’s greatest gestures…
Ryan's pre-match chats with young fans
One of the most touching features of Reynolds' many visits to Wrexham matches is the time he spends before games in the "quiet zone" he and co-owner Rob McElhenney have established for fans with health issues.
The Hollywood pair can often be seen bringing smiles to the faces of the kids,
One nine-year-old, Caleb Webb, who has been seriously ill with Crohn’s Disease, has met Reynolds a number of times, with his mother, Stacey, telling the Herald: “I would say nine times out of ten he (Reynolds) will always come over to the disabled section where the kids are.
“He will come and say hello and have a chat with them. Most of the kids don’t understand he is a famous Hollywood actor. They just see him as a friend. The first time he came over to Caleb he said ‘hello little man’ and bent down and chatted to him.
“He (Ryan) really does care. He puts everyone before himself. He has got a heart of gold and he really cares for the kids.
“Caleb just thinks him and Ryan are best mates now. He was the mascot in March and the club treated him like royalty.”
Rob donates £6,000 to help a fan with cerebral palsy
Even before the pair’s takeover was officially authorised they were eager to improve the lives of those in the local community.
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star was made aware of a JustGiving page for Wrexham fan Aiden Stott, who has cerebral palsy.
Stott was raising money to renovate his bathroom with special modifications to make his daily life easier. He had just moved to Manchester and anticipated the special bath he was after would cost £6,000.
When Stott and his family woke up on midweek night McElhenney had donated the entire amount.
"It means the world to me, it really does," Stott said.
You can read more about that here.
Ryan helps Blyth fan land vital transplant
Reynolds, a father of four, was blown away by the strength of a young Blyth Spartans fan who suffers with leukaemia.
Blyth were playing Wrexham in an FA Cup fourth qualifying round and Reynolds, compelled to help Leland find a stem cell donor, put a call out to his 20 million Twitter followers across the globe to sign up in a bid to find a match. There was a 500% increase in sign-ups in the 48 hours that followed his tweet.
"You take a quick swab of your cheek and register to save a life like Leland’s. Takes only a few minutes. Let’s kick the s*** out of childhood cancer please," he wrote.
Leland was given the freedom of his new mate Reynolds’ Aviation Gin suite when he came to the Racecourse and in November the young fan’s mum delivered the news that a transplant match had been found.
Rob and Ryan donate £5,000 in memory of Halifax fan on eve of game
Julie and Steve Brown were left floored when they checked a JustGiving page set up in memory of their son Noah, who died of cancer in August 2022 aged 19.
"Ryan, Rob and Wrexham" donated £5,000 and put three heart emojis as their message.
Noah was a staunch FC Halifax Town fan and on the eve of Wrexham’s visit to Yorkshire the Welsh club’s owners once again demonstrated their generosity.
Wrexham fans were keen to do the same and the JustGiving page has since soared past £22,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Rob and Ryan donate £20,000 to help young fan with brain tumour
Young fan Aria Hodgkiss, from Rhostyllen, was put in the spotlight when both Reynolds and McElhenney wanted to help.
Her mum Melanie shared a photo of her daughter, who fought diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) - a tumour of the brain stem - in a Wrexham kit with both Hollywood stars tagged.
"Aria, you look beautiful!" McElhenney wrote.
"Don’t take any s*** Aria, you got this!" Reynolds added.
The actors both donated £10,000 to Aria’s fundraiser for medication called ONC201, which can cost up to £3,000 each month as it has to be flown in from Germany, helping push the total beyond its £60,000 target.
Aria, who was diagnosed on the day of her third birthday, battled the cancer for a year and a half before she died in December.
"You gave her a life full of love and of joy," McElhenney tweeted to her family. "You are wonderful, beautiful people."
Rob and Ryan donate £10,000 to Sands UK after stillbirth of Jordan Davies’ baby, Arthur
Wrexham was rocked when local boy done good Jordan Davies announced his son Arthur had been born still, leaving him and his girlfriend Kelsey devastated.
Season one of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary explain how Edwards had given birth at 27 weeks.
The couple were looked after and counselled by Sands UK - Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Society - and wanted to give something back - setting up a fundraiser to do so, with the aim of reaching £1,500.
Reynolds and McElhenney were quick to get the ball rolling with both, along with their wives Blake Lively and Kaitlin Olson, kicking it off with a £10,000 donation.
In the end Wrexham’s midfielder and his girlfriend had more than 300 donations and raised more than £16,000.
Ryan helps local team buy kit
Under-12 futsal team FC United of Wrexham had a problem - they were struggling to afford kit for the new season.
A fundraiser of £480 was set up in the hope locals could help and in the end there was a helping Hollywood hand in the form of Reynolds.
Not only did Reynolds, who spotted the plea on social media, feel compelled to help, he tripled the amount and donated £1,600 to give the team a helping hand.
The kit, which features a Deadpool logo on the arm, proved an immediate hit and Reynolds has since detailed plans to eventually come and watch the stars of tomorrow play.
"Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to come visit the team this year," Reynolds wrote.
Pair match local food bank donation
One of the best parts of Wrexham is its people and the willingness to go above and beyond. Both McElhenney and Reynolds want to help because they know so many, like Wayne Jones, owner and landlord of the Turf pub, do it so regularly.
Jones announced last December that profits raised from his popular food truck outside the pub in the week before Christmas would be donated to help Wrexham’s Foodbank.
McElhenney, who has grown fond of the publican since taking charge of the football club, wanted to do his part and vowed to double any donation.
The Philadelphia native has been to Wrexham’s Foodbank and is eager to keep an eye on its progress after it was flooded by PayPal donations from the United States and Canada following his tweet.
Using his star power to make a real difference to those less fortunate in Wrexham.
Raising awareness of colonoscopies
What both Reynolds and McElhenney do so well is they are constantly trying to use their voices and platforms for good.
After a bet was made between them around McElhenney learning Welsh, Reynolds went for a colonoscopy, before being joined by his partner in crime.
Both agreed to publicly share filming of it and viewers were stunned when Reynolds' doctor noticed a benign polyp - tissue growths which can be a precursor to cancer.
The Deadpool star was told it was "potentially lifesaving". McElhenney, himself, had three polyps removed.
Footage has been viewed more than a million times and there was an immediate spike in their fans seeking colonoscopy screenings.
Ryan makes dying fan’s wish
Wrexham fan Jay Fear, 45, thought he was entering a new stage of life when given the all clear from cancer a year ago, only to be re-diagnosed in January with terminal appendix cancer.
Reynolds, via a DM from a newsreader, was made aware that Fear, a massive Deadpool fan who describes the Canadian A-Lister as his "idol", was going to be at the Boreham Wood match.
After asking where Fear and his family would be sitting so he could go and find him, Reynolds cooked up a plan to surprise his superfan.
Reynolds, choked up upon talking to Fear, gave him a signed glove from Deadpool 2 and also extended an invite for him to visit the set of the franchise’s third film.
Sadly, Jay passed away last month.
READ MORE:
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Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney donate thousands to Welsh children's hospital ward
Ryan Reynolds sends beautiful message to group honouring seven-year-old boy who died from cancer
