South Shields B&B owners react as Great North Run is cancelled

Organisers Great Run, have confirmed that the annual half marathon, scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 12, will not be going ahead this year.

The Junior & Mini Great North Run and the Great North 5K – which would have taken place over the course of the same weekend – have also been cancelled.

The race brings thousands of people to South Shields each year and is one of the busiest weekends of the year for businesses – especially those in the hospitality industry.

B&B’s on Ocean Road in the town are booked up months in advance for the event, with many guests having a rolling reservation for the event each year.

After weeks of closure during lockdown, a number of the B&B’s in the town have had to rely on the support of the Government’s grant scheme, so the news that the annual half marathon has been cancelled has come as another blow.

But B&B owners have remained realistic on their business prospects throughout the pandemic, with many saying they fully expected the Great North Run to be cancelled under the circumstances.

Christine Badel, 60, runs the Pier Guest House on Ocean Road. She said: “When I read the news on my phone I wan’t surprised.

“I think they were right in cancelling it.

“I was prepared for it to be cancelled, they can’t let it go ahead when the liked of the tennis and Olympics have been cancelled.

“A lot of people come from all over the world to do the Great North Run and they are not going to be able to get through to do it if they have to be in quarantine for 14 days.”

Jan and Steve Phillips, who have The Magpies Nest Guest House on Ocean Road for 13 years, also said that they had expected the run to be cancelled.

“It’s for the best that it’s cancelled,” Jan said.

“We were expecting it, it is just one of those things.

“We have had the same people stay with us for 10 years, they have a rolling booking.

“It will be a miss not to see them again this year.”

South Tyneside Council has acknowledged that the cancellation of the Great North Run will come as a big disappointment to the borough, but said the safety of everyone involved was paramount.

Council leader Coun Iain Malcolm said: “We know how popular the Great North Run is among residents and visitors and it will be a huge disappointment to all those involved.

“We also know that people will understand that the safety of runners, participants and staff are of paramount importance and that this is a necessary measure that the Great Run Company have taken in line with the Government’s advice to try and limit the spread of coronavirus.

“We look forward to welcoming people back to the South Shields finish line in 2021”

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