FOLLOWING the relaunch of a popular pub that pays homage to its predecessors, staff at the Running Horses say they have been blown away by the support of the community since opening in St Helens.
Located on Chalon Way, the Running Horses has been a popular drinking den for more than twenty years, with many having fond memories of its early days as Chicago Rock and then afterwards as a Wetherspoons-owned town centre boozer.
With Wetherspoons departing from the site in November 2021, leaving the Glass House as their only town centre pub, the Chalon Way unit remained empty until Jeremy Peel and Ben Gregg saw it as the perfect location to adopt a fifth bar under their growing Green Leisure pub company.
Despite only being open less than a fortnight, bar manager Luke Beddow said that he has been overwhelmed by the support from customers and on social media since the launch on Tuesday, March 14.
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'Overwhelming' reaction from the community
Luke said: “Things have been really great so far and it’s actually quite overwhelming how much support the town has shown to us.
“We want live entertainment to be a big focus but we also want to be a place that offers something for everyone.
“We have a lot of plans but we are trying to take it steady and walk before we can run!”
Food, sports, and entertainment on offer
After launching their food menu on Friday, March 24, Luke said that kitchen staff will extend this into a breakfast menu in the coming weeks.
The town centre pub will also keep the memory of Chicago Rock alive by providing live entertainment, with Karaoke planned on Wednesdays and Sundays, and DJs and live music from Thursday to Sunday.
A new stage is planned to be installed to cater for this focus on live entertainment.
In addition to this, there will also be live sports on the venue's numerous screens, as well as four pool tables to use.
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'A safe place for people from all walks of life'
Luke, who is originally from St Helens but has worked in a Greene King pub in Edinburgh for the past two years, said he has a great relationship with Jeremy and Ben, who he says are “brilliant to work for”.
With five pubs under their belt, the manager said that the pair have “grafted” to get the Running Horses up to the standard of their other venues as they grow their burgeoning pub company.
Luke added: “We just want to create a happy venue that gives people good beer, good food, and where they can have a good time.
“I want to make sure that it is a safe place where people from all walks of life can feel at home, and I just can’t wait to properly get going with it.”
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