Great North Run

An iconic event needs iconic signage

Supporting an amazing event with an iconic signage solution

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Creating a photo-ready sign

astley has proudly supported the Great Run Company for over a decade, manufacturing the iconic Great North Run sign and updating the sponsor signage each year. We also maintain and re-install this landmark display annually, ensuring it remains a celebrated feature of the event.

When the sponsors of the race change, it’s our job to manufacture the new sign and install it alongside the GNR sign each year.

Our production facility at Gateshead is the perfect, local location for the management of this project with installation being a key challenge to overcome each year. Installation teams have to work at height over several nights in order to achieve as little disruption as possible to the users of the bridge and surrounding areas.

Once installed, thousands of visitors to the city enjoy having their photo taken in front of this sign with it regularly appearing all over social media in the lead up to the event.

Each year, once taken down, it’s then our job to address any damage that may have occurred during its use, make good and then store for the following year.

The requirement

Each year the Great North Run is marketed heavily to promote the event and a key focus of this marketing remains the use of the Great North Run sign on the Tyne Bridge.

Organisers must be confident that their signage partner can manufacture and safely install the new sponsor sign alongside their own iconic branding – without compromising the integrity of the listed structure. A strict prerequisite of the project is that the bridge must not be damaged or structurally altered in any way.

Installation must be carried out with minimal disruption to local residents and area users – no small feat given the bridge’s heavy usage as a vital link between Newcastle and Gateshead.

Our solution

astley has been the Great Run Company’s branding partner for this event now for 10+ years now and has established a proven process to deliver a seamless result each time.

Our projects and technical team work closely with the new sponsor and GNR organisers to understand how the brand is used and what the opportunities are for translating it into a large structurally fabricated sign.

The fixing methodology is based on a bespoke framework and designed to clamp onto the bridge uprights so no mechanical fixings compromise the bridge structure.

Working closely with Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council, our teams ensure that the structural design and all elements of health and safety are of the highest standards prior to installation. The logistics of traffic management when fixing the sign on the bridge is a challenge in itself, with the bridge having to complete lane closures throughout the night over a 5-day period. Using high-level access equipment, our brave crew then face heights of 16.5 metres to reach the first fixing points – a task not for the faint-hearted!

Take a look at what our crews complete overnight

The magic happens overnight!

A look at this iconic sign coming to life

Construction workers on elevated platforms repairing a bridge at dusk with blurred traffic below.

Person working on large white structures in an industrial workshop with various tools and materials.

Workers in reflective jackets install a large blue letter "O" on a bridge at night.

Worker in a safety vest and helmet operates equipment under a bridge at night.

BS EN 1090 certified fabrication

We were one of the first UK signmakers to identify the value in achieving BS EN 1090 for structural fabrication, to support leading brands working within PFS and those that required large building signage. Investing in this legal standard means that we can evidence a robust set of processes that ensure that signs we manufacture are safely made and safely installed.