Greene King operates 2,600 pubs and Greene King Inns with accommodation across the UK, including in Scotland through its Belhaven brand. The UK's leading pub retailer and brewer was founded in 1799 and is based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

The pubs are described as being 'the heart of the community' on the Greene King website. That is certainly true of The Pub Run Club at The Grove, on leafy Maple Road in Surbiton, Surrey. It's at this traditional neighbourhood 'Surbiton Village' pub, with its hidden 250-seat beer garden, that members of The Pub Run Club meet every Thursday at 7:00pm to have fun, get fit and be social.

Have Fun, Get Fit and Be Social isn't just a strapline for the burgeoning group of runners aged 8 to over 70, started by a group of friends as a 'silly idea' that has become an award-winning initiative within two years. Each week, up to 70 runners meet for a safety briefing and warm-up before splitting into three groups: Have Fun: sub-30-min 5K, Get Fit: around 35-min 5K, Be Social: Couch to 5K beginners.

Co-founder Chris Ford explained the group's philosophy: “We wanted to create a non-pressured environment where runners of all abilities can exercise safely without worrying about speed or ability. Each run leader has a speaker and a first aid kit; it’s all about making sure everyone feels supported and has fun.”

Chris Ford's story is typical – he has gone from a non-runner to a marathon runner who plans to race the Brighton Marathon, Great North Run, and Great South Run for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2026. Chris is justifiably proud of The Pub Run Club's charitable achievements, having raised over £17,000 for charity and been named Kingston Council’s Club of the Year 2025.

Regular runABC readers will know Greene King already has a track record of supporting running initiatives, together with England Athletics and This Girl Can, through the brilliant Let's Lift The Curfew campaign – as we reported in October last year.

Could The Pub Run Club at The Grove be a blueprint for a wider rollout of similar groups? Chris Ford certainly thinks so, as he looks ahead with positivity: “We’d love to expand nationwide, making pubs a hub for health and social wellbeing, similar to how coffee shops benefit from parkrun. We’re planning a huge summer event and want to keep everything free so everyone can join. It’s about creating spaces for conversation and connection.”

To discover more about The Pub Run Club at The Grove, click here.

Photo courtesy of The Pub Run Club on Facebook