Joanne McDougall

Joanne's AJ BELL GREAT MANCHESTER HALF MARATHON page

Fundraising for Ataxia UK
£1,184
raised of £750 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
In memory of Shelley Marks
Ataxia UK

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1102391
We fund research and support services to help all those affected by ataxia

Story

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I said I would never run a half marathon ever again, but.......we lost our precious friend Shelley 12 months ago and we want to keep her memory alive and raise money and awareness for Ataxia UK. So, Helen and I and 3 of our friends, Sally, Simon and Andrew are going to run the Manchester Half Marathon on the 21st May. 

I lived with Shelley in my first year of uni, and straight away we hit it off, she was a nutter and always full of fun. She was always smiling and her laugh will be forever remembered! When I heard she was going travelling after her Master’s degree, I decided I was going to go with her. It was the best year of our lives, and I feel so lucky to have shared so many precious memories with her.

Shelley was diagnosed with Ataxia approximately 20 years ago following numerous years of tests. Ataxia is a degenerative disease of the nervous system and it resulted in every day tasks becoming more tricky for Shell.  As her condition progressed, her ability to walk, talk and live independently became very hard.  Despite her condition she continued to live her life to the full and it never seemed to get her down. However, the last few years were a real struggle for her and it was heart breaking to see her deteriorate so badly. Unfortunately the condition finally took its toll on Shelley and she died in March 2022.

Shelley was a unique, amazing person, whose memory will live on forever. She is missed every day, we want to raise awareness for this horrific life debilitating condition.

There is currently no cure for Ataxia, Ataxia UK’s mission is to find a cure and to support everyone affected until one is found! Any penny you can donate will be greatly appreciated 💜

Thank you

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Share this story

Help Joanne McDougall

Sharing this page with your friends could help raise up to 3x more in donations

You can also help by sharing this link on

About the charity

Ataxia UK

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1102391
10,500 people in the UK have ataxia which is a progressive neurological condition that disrupts the messages sent from our brains to our muscles that are used to move, speak, listen and see. Ataxia UK funds research into finding treatments and a cure and provide support until they are found.

Donation summary

Total raised
£1,183.43
+ £243.75 Gift Aid
Online donations
£1,183.43
Offline donations
£0.00

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.