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Nicola Pattison

It seems like the Great Grimsby 10K race has been a staple in the local calendar forever, but it is in fact only six years since the immensely popular annual event began. It was founded by Nicola Pattison, who along with husband Neil and their business Tape2Tape, has inspired thousands of people to get up, get outside, and get running.

Nicola was born and raised in Grimsby, saying she is proud to be from a ‘proper Grimsby family’. “For the first seven years, I lived in the old, terraced houses on Hildyard Street. There was no bathroom or inside toilet. A large tin bath hung pride of place on the wall in the back yard. It only appeared in the small kitchen on a Sunday after tea, all five of us children took it in turns – it was the highlight of my week! I then saw my teenage years living on the Nunthorpe Estate. I had a happy childhood there and was living the dream with an inside bathroom and a serving hatch from the lounge to the kitchen. We were a proper Grimsby family, especially when my dad worked down dock, although I was often quite bemused when he brought home small slimy balls for tea. I now know that they were cod tongues and cheeks!


“I was one of five children and didn’t get the opportunity to further my education. I worked hard at school and left with several GCSEs, and worked from the age of 14 in a fish and chip restaurant in Cleethorpes. I have never been out of a job. At 16, I did a couple of years in a local fish factory, then spent a number of years within hospitality settings. I quickly realised I wanted more and was drawn to helping others.”


After studying at Grimsby College three years, Nicola worked as a mental health counsellor at a local GP practice for a short while, along with volunteering at the Grimsby Crown and Magistrates Courts supporting victims and witnesses. This is where Nicola found a career that enabled her to help people at a time in their lives when they needed it most, making long-lasting, positive changes to a system that needed to do more to support vulnerable victims in the local area.

“I had always been attracted to the judicial system. In 2003 I secured a job with Humberside Victim Support, this was definitely the backbone of my career. I worked hard for 15 years in this role, working across many criminal justice agencies to improve and develop better services for victims of crime, including setting up various services across the area to support vulnerable and intimidated witness, sexual violence victims and improving support for hate crime and anti-social behaviour victims.


“I worked alongside the Police Crime Commissioner to embed the victims code and improve services in the area. I was a good leader who actioned change and campaigned for better services that helped victims of crime. I was at the heart of delivering a service that would often change and improve the lives of victims. I genuinely cared about grass roots support and change for the better. I progressed to Operations Manager for Humberside and felt a sense of fulfilment. I was at the heart of victim care for people across all communities and was able to drive change to help others.”


During this time, Nicola discovered her love for running. “I have been into fitness since my mid-20s. I started running in 2008 and loved it! I ran the Great North Run that year, which was incredible. I was first inspired by the Humber Marathon in the 80s, this race finished in Grimsby.  Half Marathons were my favourite and running with Neil my husband just became a way of life. We travelled around the country running half marathons and this is maybe where we picked up some good tips to organise our own races.”


In 2012, Nicola and Neil created Tape2Tape as a hobby, a venture to establish inclusive races for beginners and experienced runners in and around the Northern Lincolnshire area. “We wanted to bring new, safe, and enjoyable events to the area. We organised our first Half Marathon from Glanford Park football ground in North Lincolnshire. The idea came about after a few pints of Black Sheep in our local pub! From the very start, we loved seeing runners achieve. Each runner has an individual story, some of which are very endearing. We found ourselves organising more races and introducing a community ethos around them, it was a hobby that turned into a full-time job! When my time with Victim Support sadly came to an end, I wanted to continue helping others and make a difference in the local community. I realised I could still do this at our events.

“We love working with local charities and community groups who all benefit from our events in some way. We give out hundreds of free places at each event and offer cash donations to groups that help out. We also work with local students and young people to give them opportunities to gain new skills and experiences at the events. This is great for their CV and their confidence too.”


Like so many businesses and organisations, Covid put a temporary stop to Tape2Tape’s events, even though access to fitness and the outdoors was essential for both physical and mental health. “Many runners contacted us saying they were struggling with having no goals or incentives to run. The flip side was that we witnessed so many people taking to the outdoors. Neil and I wanted to do something to nurture this new found need for being active, but at the same time provide runners with new routes to explore.


“We set about creating 21 routes, called FitRoutes across North East Lincolnshire that would hopefully encourage people to stay active as we moved out of the pandemic. There are seven urban, seven rural and seven trail routes. The urban and rural are fully accessible by wheelchairs and buggies. The routes, that are from the coast to the Wolds also give people the opportunity to explore communities that they may have never visited. It’s also great for people who travel to the area. We have a lot of great things in the area to see and FitRoutes showcases some of these.”


Currently, Nicola and her team is finishing up the final tasks following the 2022 Orsted Great Grimsby 10k, whilst working hard on the upcoming ABP Coastal Half Marathon and 5K, and St Hugh’s Cleethorpes Family Fun Run taking place in September. You can find the FitRoutes for your summer walks and rides across North East Lincolnshire at fitroutes.com.

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