Coronation Street star Harriet Bibby has been flooded with messages as she revealed the personal challenge she is taking on away from the famous cobbles. The actress, best known for playing Summer Spellman in the ITV soap, took to social media to announce her plans to take part in the Great North Run later this year.
Fundraising for Ashby Ward
Sharing a video on Instagram, Bibby explained that she and her family will run the half-marathon on September 13 to raise money for Ashby Ward at Lincoln Hospital. The ward helped her father recover after a ruptured brain aneurysm left him unable to speak, walk, or move. “They nursed him back to health, basically. They helped him to learn to walk again, they helped him to learn to speak again, with lots of physiotherapy and speech and language therapy,” she said.
Dad's Recovery and Previous Runs
Bibby noted that her father spent three months on a rehab ward learning to speak, move, and walk again after the aneurysm. Last year, she and her dad completed the Great North Run together, and she described him as a “living legend”. Now, she wants to give back: “Last year, I think we ran it for dad, and we wanted to know if he could do it. This year, I think it's our time to say thank you to Ashby Ward.”
Event Details
The 2026 AJ Bell Great North Run marks the 45th anniversary of the event, with a 13.1-mile course from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields. Last year, 60,000 participants took part. Bibby is running her fifth Great North Run this year.
Support from Fans
Bibby received an outpouring of support on social media. One user commented: “You are such an inspiration!! sending you all the luck for September I hope it goes well!” Another wrote: “So inspiring and thank you for sharing your Dad’s story with us. I will be donating. Wishing you and your family the best of luck for September.”
Bibby’s fundraising page link is in her Instagram bio, and she encouraged donations, noting that Ashby Ward is not funded by general hospital monies. “Nothing will be a big enough thank you for them giving us our dad back,” she said.
