Katie-Louise raises funds for local charity through her running and rolling adventures

​Nine-year-old Katie-Louise Goodfellow and her dad Derek from the north Belfast area have completed 49 Junior parkruns, 47 parkruns, the Belfast City Marathon, 10 half marathons, numerous 10K and 5K runs, and everything in between! The dynamic duo are passionate about raising awareness of assisted running and inclusion.

Katie-Louise has a diagnosis of quad cerebral palsy and dystonia (a neurological movement disorder), she is a wheelchair user and non-verbal. The part of Katie-Louise’s brain that is damaged means she is unable to emotionally regulate herself and the family have found a way of helping her do this, and of supporting her wellbeing, by assisted running.

David said they found a love for assisted running after taking Katie-Louise’s younger brother, Dawson, to a Junior parkrun at the Waterworks in Belfast.

“I thought it would be a father-son activity but after two weeks of us leaving my wife Victoria and Katie-Louise at home, and Katie-Louise shouting and motioning that she wanted to come with us, we took her with us on week three in her day chair. I ran with the kids and was going a bit too fast around a corner and Dawson had to put one of his hands on the armrest of Katie-Louise’s chair to stop it going up on two wheels. Then they were holding hands for the rest of the run, smiling and just loving it and everything snowballed from there.”

Dawson said he came up with idea of doing a Junior parkrun tour of all the events in Northern Ireland. “We were still using Katie-Louise’s day chair at that stage, but it is not designed for running so it wasn’t suitable for the long-term. We have friends at Monkstown Spartans and Mallusk Harriers running clubs and they came up with the idea of running 5K a day in December 2023 to raise funds for a running chair which was amazing.”

Katie-Louise and Derek are currently preparing to take on local health charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s (NICHS) Red Dress Fun Run this Sunday, February 23, to help raise funds and awareness for stroke and are encouraging the public to sign up too. This will be their first time participating in the five-kilometre run/walk event, which is supported by MACE and Musgrave MarketPlace.

Derek explained why they are taking part in the fun run at Stormont Estate.

“My mum suffered a stroke in April 2024 and sadly passed away in the May. During the time mum was in hospital we experienced first-hand the support, advice and guidance NICHS give people who have had a stroke, and their families, at a time when they really need it. We received support through the charity’s Family Support service and their Care team.”

He added: “As part of our running and rolling adventures we choose a charity of the year, and decided we would make NICHS our charity for 2025 as a way of thanking them for their help and support. We have also done some other fundraising through a cold-water dip challenge.”

Talking about the enjoyment Katie-Louise gets from assisted running Derek says; “Katie-Louise loves being out and taking part in runs. She loves being part of it with other people. Even though Katie-Louise is non-verbal, she is very sociable. If she senses people are struggling during a run she will reach out and grab their hand, she will smile at them, and start pulling their hand to encourage them along a little bit.

“We run with our mobile disco which Katie-Louise loves, and it also adds an element for people who need a boost during a run. We play everything from AC/DC through to The Proclaimers, there’s a genre to suit everybody! It is all about fun, enjoyment and giving people around us a lift if they need it with silly songs. If people want to do the actions to the Time Warp or Reach by S Club 7, they are more than welcome to. Katie-Louise thrives on that.”

Dad Derek added: “Katie-Louise also loves running because it’s something she does with her brother. He used to run every week holding Kate-Louise's hand, or chair, or with me but now he wants to run on his own and be a bit more independent. It’s great to see that develop in him and if Katie-Louise and I have already finished a run, she is at the finish line cheering Dawson on.”

The Red Dress Fun Run will be a full Goodfellow family affair as Derek explains: “My wife Victoria started running when she saw how much enjoyment Katie-Louise and Dawson were getting from the Junior parkruns and other events. The Red Dress Fun Run is going to be our first official family run together so that is something special and we are really looking forward to it."

Derek added:“The focus of the Red Dress Fun Run is that it is an event for everyone to come and be part of, and that is something we are all for. We have seen things move forward for assisted runners but there is still more to do. We want Katie-Louise and other children to be able to take part and be included like anyone else and for participation of assisted runners to increase. Hopefully, other assisted runners might be inspired by hearing our story and come take part in the Red Dress Fun Run too.”

You can sign up to the Red Dress Fun Run at Stormont Estate on Sunday, February 23, at www.nichs.org.uk/RedDressFunRun or find out more about getting your primary school involved at www.nichs.org.uk/RedDressPrimary