Welcome to Wrexham: Fans of Disney show travel from Texas

Disney released the final episode of the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham this week.

It shines a spotlight on a city which might not be the first place tourists visit in the UK.

The documentary follows Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying National League side Wrexham FC.

Now a family from Texas has travelled thousands of miles to meet the real stars of the show - the people of Wrexham.

The Lloyd family travelled from Austin, Texas to meet their new heroes.

David Lloyd said: "The series is so fascinating, we got caught up in it and wanted to see where it was all happening.

"It's about the town and the people. It's not just a game - it's a little bit of everything. And that's what drew us in.

"We're not big on following movie stars, but the series introduced us to the people and you really learn about them and it's nice to see and meet them."

Loretta Lloyd said: "We started watching it every week and were planning to come to the UK and Wales.

"We had to come by Wrexham, buy something and tell everyone at home - and hey, we're here.

"I love Wrexham! It's got a good vibe."

So who are the unlikely starts who shine in Welcome to Wrexham?

Six-year-old Amali was "Super Fan Two", when she performed a rap with her school class to cheer Wrexham on for their FA Trophy final at Wembley.

She featured in the latest episode of Welcome to Wrexham.

Her mum, Jen Pritchard, said: "She started playing when she was three and it just went from there.

"Her dad is a Wrexham fan, and they have a season ticket together. She is now this absolutely bonkers Wrexham fan who lives and breathes Wrexham.

"For us, we follow Wrexham women as well every Sunday. She has got a crazy love for the Wrexham women as well."

Wayne Jones is a regular on Welcome to Wrexham, as the landlord of the Turf hotel near the Racecourse ground.

He said: "The series has gone down really well all over the world.

"The Turf has got a lot busier and the local economy's booming."

Mr Jones said the first question he asked producers was if the football club and local economy would benefit from the documentary.

"They said it would and it has," he said.

Among the new visitors to the Turf, were two men from Texas.

"We ended up having a couple of Scotches, and had a really good chat. They were really nice people.

"They ended up leaving a little bit worse for wear."

Mark Roberts is the Managing Director of Wrexham Lager and said he has seen a huge difference to their business since the documentary.

"We're getting interest from all around the world, and sending beer to a lot of countries now.

"New Zealand is about the furthest, but we've also had South Korea and even Australia."

Mr Roberts said he has taken on more staff to cope with the increased demand.

"We've got a lot of tourists coming now from America and Canada - so it makes a big difference when they buy stuff to take back.

"They've seen the interest over the last 18 months and from that they've decided to come to Wrexham of all places for holidays."

Joss Roberts also works for Wrexham Lager.

He said: "This morning, I woke up, and we had 12 orders in from overnight. Those are orders we probably wouldn't have got without the documentary, seeing the Wrexham name out there worldwide is fantastic.

"One of the last scenes (of the documentary) was finishing on the brewery shop. It's great seeing the merch and now the world knows where we are, they're more than welcome to come and get some beer.

"People are reading up about the history of Wrexham lager and Americans are latching on to it and buying these products - long may it continue."

John Hughes welcomed Hollywood producers to his farm in Meifod, near Welshpool in Powys, to record songs for the documentary.

He said: "Beer just keeps piling up in front of me. People absolutely love it.

"People that have only met me a couple of times are sending me messages. Because it's on Disney you don't realise how many people are watching it.

"I think the nicest thing is when people say they have recognised you. I go to the market and people say 'aah Welcome to Wrexham!'"

Mr Hughes described his cameos in the series as "life changing" and said he has been playing up to six gigs a week at local venues.

"When I play gigs now, it's funny because I'm singing to an audience who already know who I am and are waiting for the Wrexham song.

"It's given me freedom and confidence to perform my own songs.

"Still an awful lot of people don't believe me though. We went to a care centre the other day, I haven't seen most of the residents for two and a half years as it's the first time they've opened since Covid.

"They asked have you been busy? I said I was working for Ryan Reynolds and they were like of course you have. They didn't believe me."

The Welsh government said Wrexham FC and its owners are playing a welcome role in promoting Wales to a global audience.

In a statement, it also said: "We are working hard to capitalise on our country's participation in the FIFA World Cup by undertaking a series of activities around the USA which will boost Wales' profile even further."