AN Ilkley woman has raised thousands of pounds for the Rob Burrow Centre for MND appeal through a special challenge in memory of her dad.

Katie Dowson's dad Warren sadly died from motor neurone disease (MND) in 2018.

This year he would have celebrated his 75th birthday so Katie decided she wanted to pay a special tribute to him by personalising her ‘This Girl CANglesey’ challenge around the number 75.

The 41-year-old, from Ilkley, designed a challenge that would see her complete the 130 miles stretch of the Anglesey section of the Wales Coast Path within 75 hours, a distance which would ordinarily take a whole week to complete.

Ilkley Gazette: The route which Katie completed in 75 hoursThe route which Katie completed in 75 hours (Image: submitted)

With high tides and diversions, Katie ended up covering over 138 miles, but still achieved her goal of completing the 130 miles within 75 hours. In total, Katie walked an impressive 295,488 steps in 44 hours 19 minutes.

This isn’t Katie’s first challenge, she has already raised tens of thousands for MND charities in her dad’s name. From running half, full and ultra marathons, to climbing his favourite peak, Ingleborough, and a personalised 10-day Northern Pilgrimage walking challenge.

Thanks to her extraordinary efforts, Katie’s latest challenge has raised over £2,600 for Leeds Hospitals Charity’s appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital, part of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Ilkley Gazette: Katie Dowson and her dad at Anglesey Zoo Katie Dowson and her dad at Anglesey Zoo (Image: submitted)

Anglesey is a special place to Katie and her family. One of her favourite childhood photos of her and her dad was taken at Anglesey Sea Zoo, so she was very pleased to pass by the zoo during day three of her challenge.

Katie said: “My Dad faced his MND diagnosis with such a strong mentality. I look back at some of the things he did now completely in awe of his grit and determination, and I wanted my challenge to reflect his warrior spirit. I wanted it to be hard, but in reality, I pushed myself mentally and physically beyond anything I could ever have imagined. He’d have done exactly the same for me!

“Every single message of support, phone call, and donation I received along the way was a boost, and pushed me on. I am so proud to support this important campaign, knowing the centre will make such a difference to families like mine.”

Ilkley Gazette: Katie Dowson in Anglesey Katie Dowson in Anglesey (Image: submitted)

Leeds Hospitals Charity has now raised over £5.7 million of its £6.8 million target to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND. With planning permission granted by Leeds City Council earlier this month, construction work is due to start on site at Seacroft Hospital over the coming weeks.

Paul Watkins, Director of Fundraising at Leeds Hospitals Charity said: “Katie has been an incredible supporter of our appeal since it first launched in 2021, from bravely sharing the heartbreaking story of losing her dad through our 7 Stories of MND campaign, to taking on challenges of an epic scale to fundraise.

“All of us at Leeds Hospitals Charity have been amazed by Katie’s determination and positivity. It’s thanks to inspirational people like her, that we’re getting even closer to crossing the finish line of our appeal, creating a bespoke centre for people living with MND and their loved ones.”

Ilkley Gazette: Katie DowsonKatie Dowson (Image: submitted)

To donate to Katie’s fundraising page, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/thisgirlcanglesey