The competitive spirit between the two universities is, ironically, alive and well.
Newcastle’s two universities, Newcastle University and Northumbria University, have been engaged in a tense competition lately to see which university can crown themselves the king of COVID.
After the shocking announcement earlier this month that Northumbria Uni had seen a spike of over 700 cases, Newcastle Uni, not wanting to be seen as second best, announced over 1000 new cases just days later.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council had the following to say, ‘in these dark times, it’s refreshing and uplifting to see the good-spirited rivalry between our two universities live on and adapt through these difficult times. As a Newcastle University alumni, it’s hard for me to not be biased, I can only hope the red brick continues to excel.’
Numerous charities have expressed their interest in sponsoring and legitimising the contest, with a respiratory illness charity saying it would like to donate ventilators to the winning university.
