Job losses at Great North Run company due to effects of Covid pandemic

The business, which organises the Great North Run and many other sporting events, has confirmed redundancies at both its Newcastle and London offices – although an exact number has not been released.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions in place has meant the Great Run Company has not been able to stage any of its mass participation events in 2020.

A decision was therefore made to undertake a redundancy process which aims to ‘protect the business in the short and medium term’.

The Great North Run – the famous half marathon which starts in Newcastle and ends in South Shields – was officially cancelled in June ahead of what would have been it’s landmark 40th anniversary race.

A spokesperson for Nova International said: “Like thousands of other businesses in the UK, Nova International has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been unable to stage any of our mass participation events in 2020, and the outlook for our sector in 2021 is extremely uncertain.

“The Job Retention Scheme ends on the 31st October, and this means that we have had to undertake a redundancy process aimed at protecting the business in the short and medium term.

“We deeply regret any job losses, but the business has no other option at this extremely challenging time.”

Runners who had a place in this year’s event will be given the option to roll it over to the next Great North Run, currently scheduled for Sunday, September 12, 2021, or get a refund of their entry fee.

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.