Many Hitchin residents may not know what Bubble Works is but they have likely seen its members wearing luminous coloured tops either gathering in large numbers at the bottom of Windmill Hill on a Thursday around 7pm, congregated outside various bars or running around the town and its various trails.

Bubble Works used to be called Mikkeller when Mark Edwards of Hitchin started it "with a view of having some fun, making some friends all while doing a bit of running, and tasting some delicious beers!"

What is sure is that local drinking establishments are big fans.

Tom Weller, owner of the Kite at the Read Hart, told Hitchin Nub News that "Bubble Works are a fantastic part of the Hitchin fitness scene. Lovers of great craft beer, friendly company and not to forget, weekly runs, we love having them here at Kite. The more the merrier!"

Ben Hudson, of Hitchin Beer Shop, described Bubble Works to Hitchin Nub News as a "club promoting friendship, wellness and community values".

Hitchin Nub News caught with Mark as he reflects on the evolution of the Bubble Works community, what it has contributed to Hitchin and his time as Chair.

HNN - How did Bubble Works come about?

ME – "So I started it after reading an article in Runners World about these beer running clubs in Denmark - I'd not long moved to Hitchin and didn't really know anyone so thought: that sounds cool, maybe other people would like that too! I just nipped into the Beer Shop one day - asked if they'd be up for it - and thankfully they were!

Nearly six years later - we are still here and in fact pretty sure we can say we've inspired a fair few others - and our members have gone on to start communities in Biggleswade, Finchley, Bedford as well as other groups like Fussey and Baer Run Club".

HNN - Is it a running club?

ME – "Ha ha - not really - we describe ourselves as 2/3 drinking community to 1/3 run community - but to be honest neither of those things are really true. We just wanted to be a running group that hung out together and had a chance to sit down and chat with each other, without having to pant or wipe the sweat from your brow at the same time.

Like all walks of life - we have some fast runners, some more leisurely - some beer snobs, and some that don't touch a drop. We just wanted to let people come together and look out for each other really".

HNN - How many members does it have and how do people join in?

"So our first run started with about 9 people I think - and 6 years later now we regularly get 40 to 50 people every Thursday (it's a bit mad!) - but yeah we have hundreds of members and find that even when people move away they want to stay part of the group so they can get access to our special events!

In terms of joining - all you need to do is turn up on a Thursday! We don't charge a membership fee - you don't have to sign a form really, although it does help if you join our group on an app called Heylo - that gives you all the details of where and when to meet, what route we will be running etc.

At this point I should say a massive thank you to the team of people that keep us going either by organising the runs, giving up their time and skills to help us develop and be the community that we are.

We are a pretty big group these days, so I appreciate that can probably be quite intimidating - but give us a chance - come and have a chat with someone - and I'm pretty sure you'll have a good time! If not you can have your money back"!

HNN - How does BWRC support the Hitchin?

So I'd like to think in a few ways - firstly, for our members, I hope we help with both their physical but also mental health and well-being. It's incredible the difference it can make to your mood by just turning up on a Thursday - seeing a familiar face, saying hi - and then hopefully making a friend for life!

Obviously, we also probably help some of our local pubs and bars by giving them a bit of custom on a Thursday night! We try to rotate and go to different places so that we are supporting lots of independents, but our regularly homes are Beer Shop and The Kite in town! But we are also open to offers for anyone we've not visited yet!!!

We also try and help out our town through community action. For example, we participate in the Hitchin Forums litter picks with a bit of plogging around town, we raise money and awareness for local charities but also causes that are important to our members. We also want to make sure there's equity in our community. Both running and beer are sometimes seen as things that are 'men centric'. We don't think that's true and don't subscribe to that thinking - we're for every member of our community and town.

HNN - What have been your highlights of 2024?

ME – "Oooh there's been a fair few. I know many of our members will say the special events we do. This year we even went to Bristol for a day trip of a 10km run and a trip to three breweries! Our community bus trip to Cambridge for the half marathon because the trains weren't running was also incredible! 52 people on a hired coach fighting through the cold and then taking over a pub in Cambridge before making it home safely!

But for me - and I know this sounds cheesy - but I guess it's the chance to see people connect make friends, and make progress with their running - but also because they believe in this community they tend to give a lot back - which is just awesome to see in action.

HNN - What are Bubble Works plans for the future?

"Many!!! So we are really keen to further develop our community work - and that's something we are working on and would love to hear from other people on how to do that. I'm also keen that a new group of people help out and take Bubble Works to new heights - it's a community group so it will only be as strong as the people that take part and want to look after it. But if all else fails - I'm pretty sure we will just be running around town on a Thursday and then hanging out for a drink!"

If you're interested in Hitchin Bubble Works you can learn more about them on their website here or join them for one of their weekly Thursday runs.