Rob and Ryan set for Freedom of City award at Civic ceremony in Guildhall on Monday

Rob and Ryan are coming to Wrexham City Centre on Monday to formally receive the highest Civic award from the people of the county borough – becoming Freemen of Wrexham.

It is likely the Mayor, Cllr Brian Cameron, the civic figurehead and ‘first citizen’ of Wrexham who acts and symbolises the link between the council and the people and represents the entire county borough will make the formal presentation.

The event will be held behind closed doors in Wrexham Guildhall just before lunchtime on Monday, allowing time for the co-Chairmen to head up the road to the Racecourse for the huge game against persistent league title challengers Notts County later in the afternoon.

All councillors have been invited to the Freedom Presentation Ceremony however it is unclear if all will be attending, following the split at the Executive Board where the Leader of the Conservative group spoke out strongly, and voted against, the plan.

Wrexham’s Guildhall chamber is nothing new to Ryan Reynolds as he attended a Full Council meeting virtually late last year when the formal vote was taken to bestow the co-Chairman, and football club, with the honour.

Historically then Prime Minister Lloyd George was awarded the Freedom of the Borough, with a ‘silver tea and coffee service’ awaiting formal presentation for over four years, before the then ex-PM attended the Eisteddfod in Mold and received the award in 1923. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​Other such gifts are documented throughout history, with a long standing town clerk who received the award in 1906 being presented with a ‘handsome casket’ – and his wife being given a gold necklace and pendant, the latter being ‘an exact facsimile of the seal of the borough’. ‌​‌​‌​​​ ‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Ryan and Rob are set to receive “a casket containing the address to honorary freeman” which will cost ‘a reasonable sum’. ‌

Back in 2012 when double Olympic gold medallist Tom James was made a Freeman the council held a special event on Llwyn Isaf complete with fire eaters and a trapeze artist – and significantly at the time a huge TV screen broadcasting proceedings from inside the Guildhall – something that was against the council’s own rules and ethos at the time (including a first ever tweet from inside a council meeting). Following the award the Mayor, representing the Civic side of the presentation and the people of the then town, appeared on the balcony alongside the Chief Executive and the new Freemen. (Report from 2012 here).

Despite the Council noting the Mayor “is a symbol of open society” no details of how a similar civic ceremony a decade on will take place, or how it will be conveyed to the people of Wrexham who the award represents, has been released.

At the time of the official vote in December Ryan Reynolds addressed councillors and said, “We are going to try not to be too emotional here but we’re impossibly grateful for this honour from the council. Wrexham is home to one of the most beautiful stories on Earth.”‌ ​‌‌‌‌​​

“Our goal is now and it’s always been to uphold the values of this community in this club. But none of it works without you, and without the people of Wrexham and the players on this team, the ground staff at the Racecourse – everyone who makes this work, the locals and each and every nook and cranny of Wrexham many of whom we now consider very close friends.‌ ​‌‌‌‌​​

“We’re amplifying something that is really already there. We’re shining a light on something that is already quite perfect and unique and special. ” ‌​‌​‌​​​ ‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Wrexham is the name isn’t really just a slogan. It’s now a globally recognised motto, and our goal is to continue growing Wrexham in the hearts and minds of folks all over the planet. ‌

(Top pic: One from the archives where we superimposed Ryan and Rob alongside the Council Leader and council Chief Executive)