Great North Run at Souter Lighthouse

Sunday was a very important day for the 60,000 runners of the 2025 A J Bell Great North Run. I've been a runner now for over 10 years so I know the physical and mental investment that goes into preparing for the 13.1 mile race. This one is iconic though and very dear to its participants, their supporters and the many, many charities that benefit from the huge amount of fundraising that surrounds the event.

This will soon be covered in cars

I was privileged to be supporting the huge demand that the café at the National Trust's Souter Lighthouse receives on the day of the run. They open up the space you can see pictured to the right as car parking for hundreds of cars. This raises a significant amount of money towards the upkeep of the property and its grounds for the year.

By midday the grass was barely visible as was the end of my queue! This was also the time that I and the Trust's car park attendants were competing for what little internet signal was available to process our transactions!

I served from just before 9am until all that remained was a few espresso and iced drink cups at around 6pm. I had literally nothing left to sell. It was a magical day to be a part of. The relief in the eyes of the returning runners and their support teams when their transaction finally went through on my payment terminal was a joy for all concerned. To have such a spectacular view for the day just adds to my memories of another memorable day selling the best coffee to the best people that I can.

What a location!

By the time I arrived home at 7pm I felt as though I'd run the Great North Run, if not once then twice. I'd been up since just before 5am to arrive onsite to setup in good time so all in a 14 hour day. I was hoping for a sunrise setup picture but alas it was not to be. I do like this one as a close substitute though!