Book Club – Kerry Evans: Stronger Than You Think
22 April, 2026
Kerry Evans is Disability Liaison Officer for Wrexham AFC – a football club which has gone from relative obscurity to the heights of the Championship League in recent years. The club’s meteoric rise is captured in the hit TV show, Welcome to Wrexham, which Kerry stars in. But this is only one of many eventful aspects of Kerry’s life, which also includes living with two stomas*.
Kerry’s story is so incredible that she has now written her autobiography, ‘Stronger Than You Think’. Here, she explains how the book came about, and what the response has been like so far.
Two of the Colostomy UK team, Jillian Matthew and Nicola Kendall also share their thoughts in Tidings’ first ever ‘book club’ review.
What do you cover in the autobiography?
Being born with cerebral palsy, growing up with numerous health issues. Being bullied, being in a horrendous relationship, and becoming a full-time wheelchair user at age 30.
Happily, the book then also talks about me becoming a full-time volunteer at Wrexham AFC, helping fans with disabilities before Hollywood came calling, when Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased our club and offered me full-time employment. Their takeover led to the club’s unprecedented rise through the leagues. I see it as a complete privilege and honour to do the job I do supporting fans who need my assistance.
How did the idea of writing an autobiography come about?
My nan always said so much had happened in my life, that if I ever wrote a book people wouldn’t believe it was true. Then when Wrexham got its first promotion from the National League, Rob McElhenney had a long conversation with me at the celebratory party and said I’d inspired hundreds of people, including himself. This then got me thinking. If I were to put my story out there, could it help and inspire more people?
What was the writing process like?
I secured an agent, who paired me with the ghost writer, Katie Wyatt, to help develop the book. We both knew very quickly that we would work well together. At times it was incredibly hard. We had evenings where we were on zoom for hours and I would cry all evening. Some of it was difficult to revisit, but other parts were an absolute pleasure to do. If I’d have realised how hard the process would be I may have thought twice. However, I’m very glad I didn’t realise that because now it’s completed I’m immensely proud of it. It was like being in therapy, and since its completion I feel lighter.
What has the response been like so far?
The response has been tremendous. The feedback has been completely overwhelming.
I’ve had a lady get in touch to tell me she was in an abusive marriage and has never told anyone, but having read my book, she wanted to get in touch.
A gentleman from America emailed and thanked me, as he has always wanted to be a paramedic but never felt that was possible, but since reading my book, he has now signed up to start his training and said it was down to me and the belief I gave him. I’ve had literally hundreds of fans approach me to discuss why the book touched them personally too. I always said that if the book made a difference to one person, it would have been well worth doing, so it’s been phenomenal seeing the responses. To see how people have taken me to their hearts has been quite humbling.
Book Club Review:
Nicola Kendall – Colostomy UK Finance Manager:
As a parent of two football-loving boys, it has been impossible to miss the excitement around Wrexham’s Hollywood ownership, and I have followed the teams progress from non-league football to the Championship with great interest. Kerry’s autobiography shows the very personal real-life story of someone who has been integral to the club through thick and thin.
Kerry speaks with real honesty about the incredibly difficult medical challenges that she has faced throughout her life and the positive impact that her involvement with Wrexham has had, from her early involvement as a volunteer through to her time as a full-time paid Disability Liaison Officer. Using her own lived experiences, her work has centred around ensuring that barriers to attendance at games are removed to make the club accessible to all.
“Welcome to Wrexham” has put the town and its football club on the map and given Kerry a platform to bring about change. Since having two stomas she has seen first-hand not only the importance of stoma friendly toilets but the remarkably simple steps that can be taken to convert current facilities and give confidence to those with a stoma when out in public.
I found this book to be incredibly moving and a real testament to the power of human spirit.
Jillian Mathew – Volunteer: Tidings Editorial Board
It’s quite hard to sum up this book in a short summary, but some of the key takeaways for me are Kerry’s resilience and determination to make her beloved football club inclusive for everyone, in the face of many of her own challenges. Her lived experience meant she understood what it meant for people to feel valued, included and treated with dignity and respect, no matter who they were and what barriers they faced. Although some of the accessibility changes were more substantial, benefiting from funding from the two Hollywood A-lister new owners, many of the changes didn’t need a big budget, but still had a big impact on fans and their families. Things like a quiet zone set up for people who need a calmer environment, a sensory room, dementia-friendly adjustments, and stoma-friendly toilets.
For ostomates, Kerry is a shining example of how living with a stoma, or in her case two stomas, means you can still have a fulfilling life and achieve great things. The one thing Kerry said she wanted people to take from the book sums it up for me –
“Everyone is good at something – you just have to find out what your thing is. But we are all stronger than we think, and we all have something to offer.”
My hope would be that this book has a positive impact in two ways. To give people hope that things can and should change to make places more inclusive. Also, for organisations, not just sports clubs, to take note and see how easy it can be to make small changes with big impact, and to get themselves a Kerry to make it all happen!
‘Stronger Than You Think’ is available at Waterstones, Amazon, and at Wrexham AFC club shop in store and online.
