A Wrexham business owner will ‘be forever grateful’ to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after their incredible generosity ‘saved’ his business. 

Stephen Tapp was left devastated when he discovered his business, Wrexham Trainer Revival, had been ransacked by thieves in the early hours of October 28.

He estimated more than £7,000 worth of stock had been taken, leaving him ‘completely broken’ and unsure whether he would be able to afford to open his business ever again.

A JustGiving page was set up in a bid to get Tapp back on his feet and it caught the eye of Reynolds and McElhenney, who are co-owners of Wrexham’s football club.

Tapp set a target of £3,500 to get back on his feet and the Hollywood duo donated the full amount, leaving him speechless. 

‘Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have literally saved my business and I’ll be forever grateful,’ Tapp posted on X. ‘If you only knew what that donation has meant to my life…’

Tapp would get the opportunity to thank McElhenney personally on Saturday with the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star in town to watch Wrexham rise to second in League Two after a 2-0 win over Gillingham.  

Reynolds and McElhenney were not alone in coming to Tapp’s aid, with more than £8,000 raised from 192 other donations.

Initial donations allowed Tapp to re-open his doors on November 1, but the donation of Reynolds and McElhenney has blown Tapp away.

‘Clean up is complete I’ve lost way more than except but I’m opening up today I’ve had replacement stock new trainers hoodies track tops,’ Tapp wrote on Facebook.

‘Thanks to everyone that’s made that happen so quickly. Huge love for all the support including the Go Fund it’s been so overwhelming.’

As well as restoring old trainers, Tapp’s Trainer Revival  also sells rare brand new trainers, which were targeted as it was ransacked. 

‘So today has been a nightmare, I arrived at the shop this morning to find the place had been turned over by some f***ing scumbags,’ he wrote after the break in.

‘The shop has been smashed up along with thousands of pounds worth of stock gone. It’s completely broken me to the point whether I’m not sure I’m going to open again.’

The generosity of Reynolds and McElhenney is just the latest act from them in helping the community. 

It was revealed last week how Reynolds came to the aid of the wife of Wrexham player Anthony Forde after she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. 

Irish full-back Forde saw his life turned upside down when Laura was diagnosed with a brain tumour midway through last season. 

Reynolds did not want to sit idly by and see Forde and his wife struggle to make sense of the shocking news – so he organised for them to swiftly get a second opinion.

Speaking in Episode 14 of the latest season of Welcome to Wrexham, Forde revealed: ‘It just didn’t feel like it was real. The gaffer told the owners about the news and they reached out. 

‘Ryan helped get a second opinion. It’s something that he doesn’t have to do, he doesn’t have to do that.’

That second opinion proved crucial for the couple with Laura getting news that was the ‘best case scenario’ in comparison to the results of her first MRI scan. 

Wrexham have made a strong start to life back into the Football League with Forde and his team-mates sitting second in the table after 17 matches.