Words by Joel Cotterell, Intern
I am thoroughly enjoying my time learning new things
about the North East as part of the work I do with Great North Run Culture; the North East is an area relatively unknown to me being from the
farmlands of Cheshire. Plus, as a student from Northumbria University, the
Great North Run is an event that takes place in and around the campus and city,
making the GNRC project that much more exciting to me.
My job with GNRC is to help research for the new Great North Greats website which
will feature people who have called the North East their home, and have
achieved outstanding success in their lifetimes. The website will also show
places and objects that link to these
people, creating an interactive format that will be interesting and
accessible to all ages, and help people understand where the Great North Greats were from, and what
they achieved.
Jarra Jim
One of the people who have stood out to me so far from my
time with GNRC is Jim Purcell, a man who has ran the Great North Run for the
last 28 years, being an inspiration to everyone including me, as I look to run
my first Great North Run in 2015. A man at the age of 92 with two artificial
knees still being able to complete the Great North Run shows a clear
determination and love for the sport, one to be admired by everyone.
You can read more about him here.
Look out for my other posts about the Great North Greats I'm encountering almost daily! Or tweet us your examples of Great North Greats at
@GNRCulture #greatnorthgreat
