Here are the South Tyneside pandemic heroes being celebrated with Great North Run billboards

Thirteen people from all walks of life, who went above and beyond to support their communities during the pandemic, were selected as Great North Heroes for the event to shine a light on some of those who gave up their time, worked through impossible challenges and put others first over the last 18 months.

The chosen 13 will feature on billboards every mile of the course and include South Tyneside heroes Dr Mickey Jachuck, Jill Maguire, Brenda Parker.

The billboards will all be installed in Times Square, in front of the Life Science Centre in Newcastle City Centre and will be available for the general public to view from 12:30pm on Friday September 10 until early evening on Saturday September 11, before they will be moved on to the course of the Great North Run.

Dr Mickey Jachuck, Consultant Cardiologist South Tyneside District Hospital, will be part of the four heroes officially starting this years run and was chosen after he and his team provided 24/7 cover for critically ill patients with Covid during the pandemic.

Jill Maguire, Family Time Service Manager, South Tyneside Council, was chosen after her and her team worked to ensure looked after children could stay close to biological relatives.

Brenda Parker, School Caretaker at Harton Primary School South Shields, was chosen because she didn’t take a single day off during the pandemic, working tirelessly to ensure the school was safe for staff and pupils.

Some were nominated by their individual organisations, others were chosen by a panel that included Deputy Regional director, HSBC North Region, Mark Wake and long time Great North Run volunteer and many times winner Dame Tanni Grey Thompson.

Mark said: “We are delighted to be able to support the Great North Run and to be part of a team celebrating the amazing achievements of the people of the North East. Ordinary people doing extra ordinary work is something that inspires us all and we are so looking forward to seeing the Great North Run back in full flow this year”

Founder of the Great North Run Brendan Foster said, “We’re so pleased to be able to recognise the achievements of these inspiring individuals at this year’s event.

“The Great North Run has always been a day where we celebrate the power of collective effort and endurance, but these people have kept that momentum going, under incredibly difficult circumstances over a longer period of time than anyone could have imagined.

“It’s right and fitting that we recognise them on Sunday and give the whole region the chance to say ‘Thank You’.”

This year’s Great North Run will take place on Sunday 12 September 2021 with event being televised live on BBC Two between 08:30 – 09:30 before coverage moves over to BBC One until 13:30.

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