BUTTRICK Ellen

Classification
PR3 (worldrowing.com, 03 Jun 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (britishrowing.org, 09 Sep 2018)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (britishrowing.org, 09 Sep 2018)

Impairment Details
She has juvenile macular degeneration, an inherited eye condition which causes progressive vision loss. (britishrowing.org, 09 Sep 2018)

General
OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as an office coordinator for Leeds Refugee Council's Syrian resettlement programme. The scheme aims to offer support and assistance to Syrian families relocating to West Yorkshire, England. "The best thing is meeting the people who we're trying to help. One of the nicest days of my job was when I first started in January [2018], a group of refugee families arrived from Syria. We organised their arrival, including transportation, accommodation, and their first meal, a Domino's pizza, and we were there to welcome them. It was snowing. There were people of all ages including an old man who arrived waving a Union Jack flag and saying, 'Thank you UK, thank you'. Working with the refugees has made me realise how fortunate I am. Sometimes I think I'm having a bad day. For instance, if our boat can't go out on the water, but then I think about the strength of the people that I work with, and the fact that I haven't had to flee a country. And if I get upset about my eyesight I think the same." (britishrowing.org, 09 Sep 2018)

DEALING WITH IMPAIRMENT
She was diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration during her time at Northumbria University in England. She says the diagnosis affected her confidence and resulted in her taking a break from rowing. "I'd rung around a lot of opticians and thought that none of them could do their jobs because, despite their help, I still couldn't see. I stopped rowing after I was first diagnosed. The shock of finding out I had this disease, and coming to terms with it, had a profound effect on me. I focused instead on my university work. [In the boat] I can see the blade but not the person sitting directly in front of me, so if I focus on an object it will look blurred. But it's given me this opportunity to row for my country, which I see as making the most out of an unfortunate situation." (fenews.co.uk, 11 Apr 2019; britishrowing.org, 09 Sep 2018)

VOLUNTARY WORK DURING PANDEMIC
In 2020 she up a voluntary role as an area coordinator for the Henley Mutual Aid Group during the COVID-19 pandemic. She worked with the organisation to provide support and deliver groceries and medicine to elderly and vulnerable people in Henley-on-Thames, England. "At the start of the shielding process, a lot of people felt they were fine but as it started to get worse, they relied on the group more and more. It's been really good, we've created little communities within each street. My 97-year-old neighbour and his 87-year-old wife sent a lovely message saying how grateful they were that people were there for them. I grew up in a part of Leeds that used to have a good sense of community, so it's nice to play a part in that. It definitely got in the way of my training, training took a back seat for a while. I'd interrupt online yoga sessions to jump on my emails and check if anyone needed help. I wanted to help people and I've had some experience in charities so I felt I'd be able to do the role well. As someone who represents Great Britain in my sport as a full-time, funded athlete, I wanted to do something to help the country get through this." (yorkshirepost.co.uk, 23 Aug 2020)