‘We’ll have a pint waiting for him!’ Pub landlord in tiny Welsh village where Ryan Reynolds ‘is buying £1.5m home’ says excited locals will be rolling out the carpet for the Hollywood A-lister – and can’t wait to bump into him in the local Co-Op
- Deadpool actor, 46, bought £1.5million four bedroom house in Marford in Clwyd
- Both he and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham FC and transformed its fortunes
Locals in a quiet North Wales village say they will roll out the red carpet for their latest neigbour – Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds
The Deadpool actor has bought a £1.5million four bedroom house in Marford in Clwyd, just five miles North-East of Wrexham, where he and fellow movie giant Rob McElhenney run the town’s football club.
Reynolds, 46, will be joined by wife Blake Lively, 35, and their children James, eight, Inez, six, and Betty, three, as well as their fourth baby born earlier this year.
He and and McElhenney have helped transform Wrexham FC after buying the club in November 2020 and have had huge success documenting their progress in season one of their documentary series, ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
The team currently sit second in the National League, English football’s fifth tier,
Ryan looked the picture of happiness today, perhaps over his new £1.5million Welsh home
Marford has been part of England and Wales over the years as is just miles from the border
Maguz Malik, 57, who owns The Red Lion pub, said: ‘It’s wonderful news. Ryan Reynolds has done so much for Wrexham and the local area.’
Marford has been part of both England and Wales over the years – being just a few miles from the border.
The village has a population of roughly 2,500 people. There are two pubs, one at the bottom of the Marford hill – The Trevor Arms – and the other at the top, The Red Lion.
There is one shop, the Co-Op which opened in June 2016, adjacent to The Red Lion.
The village also has a disused quarry, which opened in 1927 to originally supply materials for the creation of the Mersey Tunnel before being shut down in 1971.
It has since become become an important nature reserve, having been colonised by a variety of plant species and insect life like moths and butterflies.
Marford’s previous claim to fame was being the hometown of former Blue Peter presenter, Tim Vincent, so a wave of excitement is washing over the village.
Maguz Malik, 57, who owns The Red Lion pub, told MailOnline today: ‘It’s wonderful news. Ryan Reynolds has done so much for Wrexham and the local area.
Wrexham fan Rob Davies, 58, was also thrilled at having such a famous neighbour moving in
Alex Roberts, 35, said a friend of his had actually met Reynolds at a recent Wrexham game
‘It’s caused a real buzz in the village, many of the locals are excited that such a huge star is going to be living here.
‘I’ve seen a lot of his movies and I’ve obviously watched the Netflix documentary about him and Rob McElhenney taking over at Wrexham football club.
‘Ryan seems like a real down to earth guy and I think he’ll fit in around here. It’s a friendly and welcoming place to live. I’m sure he’ll love it as much as us.
‘And he’s more than welcome in the pub, we’ll have a pint waiting for him.’
Wrexham fan Rob Davies, 58, was also thrilled at having such a famous neighbour.
He said: ‘It’s fantastic news that he’s chosen Marford as a place to live. What he and Rob have put into Wrexham, both the football club and the local community, has been incredible. They’ve been a force for good over these last two years.
‘I think they both have a genuine fondness for the club and the area and it’s certainly reciprocated.
‘Ryan is a bit like his character in Deadpool, very deadpan. I like that. He doesn’t take himself very seriously and he’s been criticised for taking on Wrexham by other rival supporters but he never snaps or gets heated. He deals with it all with humour – and that’s the best way.’
Lucia Cunningham, 23, said she hoped she would bump into Reynolds at the local Co-Op
Celebrity: The most famous person from Marford is Tim Vincent from Blue Peter (Tim pictured on Blue Peter in 1995)
Family: The Deadpool star is believed to have splashed out on a four-bedroom home where he will be joined by wife Blake Lively, 35 and their children James, eight, Inez, six, and Betty, three, as well as their fourth baby born earlier this year (pictured last month)
Lucia Cunningham, 23, said she hoped she would bump into Reynolds at the local Co-Op, where she had just bought some shopping.
READ MORE: Ryan Reynolds’ bank balance-boosting business portfolio revealed
Smiling broadly, she said: ‘He’s a genuinely nice person who doesn’t just care about the football club but about the whole town.
It’s the little things he does, like making Welsh cakes and learning Welsh. It endears him to us locals.
‘I’m so pleased that Marford is going to get a bit of Hollywood glitz and glamour. It would’ve been so easy for someone like Ryan to set up home in Cheshire, Manchester or Liverpool, where a lot of the big football stars live, but he’s chosen to live here in North Wales with us.
‘To think that I could bump into him at the shops getting a paper and some milk is so funny. I hope he brings all his celebrity friends!’
Meanwhile, Alex Roberts, 35, said a friend of his had actually met Reynolds at a recent Wrexham game.
He added: ‘My mate and his son spoke to him at the Racecourse Ground and he was brilliant with them. He has a way with people, he can talk to and get on with anyone.
‘Ryan’s going to put Marford on the map.
‘We haven’t seen too many celebrities over the years. Tim Vincent, the former Blue Peter presenter came from here, but Ryan is another league – he’s Hollywood A-list!’
Reynolds , along with co-chairman Rob McElhenney, have helped transform Welsh team Wrexham FC, and have had huge success documenting their progress in season one of their documentary series, ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
Checking out the sights: When Ryan moves into the area he’ll be able to check out the local pub, The Red Lion (pictured)
Game: The actor bought Wrexham football club in 2020 alongside It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor Rob McElhenney (pictured with wife Blake at a game last year)
In August last year Reynolds revealed his wife was not particularly happy when he told her the he had bought the Welsh team with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor McElhenney.
In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he said: ‘I remember seeing Blake, saying, “I have bad news and I have really bad news. I slipped into someone’s DMs again. The really bad news is that I might have bought half of a fifth-tier national football league in Wales.”‘
However, Ms Lively has been snapped cheering on Reynold’s club. In May last year the couple watched Wrexham take on Bromley during the Buildbase FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium in London.
The pair bought the club back in 2020. Since then they have put Wrexham and its once struggling club firmly back in the spotlight.
They reached the Wembley final in 2022 and narrowly missed out promotion after finishing second in the National League.
The club’s duo are also striving to give women’s football a boost and recently announced they will attend Wrexham ladies team’s match against local rivals Connah’s Quay Nomads tomorrow.
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