Despite
being diagnosed with an incurable eye disorder, 24-year-old Ellen Buttrick has
confronted her challenges head-on, earning a place in the Great British Paralympic
rowing squad while also pursuing her passion for working in human rights.
After
seeing people row near her home in Leeds, Ellen’s love of rowing began when she
started a learn-to-row course during the opening week of the London Olympics.
Her studies took her to Northumbria University, where she completed her
geography degree in 2017.
While
at Northumbria, Ellen was diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration, an
inherited eye disorder which results in a gradual loss of vision and is
currently incurable.
“I
stopped rowing after I was first diagnosed,” she said. “The shock of finding
out I had this disease, and coming to terms with it, had a profound effect on
me. I focussed instead on my university work.
“My
lecturers were so supportive and made sure I had all the equipment I needed to
make the most of my degree and be equal in opportunities to everyone else on my
course.”
After
attending a GB Talent ID day and going through the classification process, she
joined the GB Para-rowing squad in 2018 and feels lucky to be training
alongside crew mates, including Paralympic champions such as Grace Clough and
Dan Brown.
Her
rapid progress into the GB Para-Rowing squad was made possible thanks to the support
of the National Lottery and UK Sport, where coaches Ella Willott and Nick
Baker helped her improve her technique and performance as Ellen trained hard
for selection to the Para-rowing squad. After winning gold in the mixed coxed
four event at last year’s World Championships, Ellen and her teammates are
looking to maintain their title at this year’s Championships in Austria in
August, these are the qualification regatta for the 2020 Paralympics.
The geography graduate has worked at the Refugee Council
in Leeds, as well as completing internships for a London council and political
think tank in Prague. Ellen also opted for a placement year at neighbouring
Gateshead Council while a student at Northumbria. However, she has put her
career in public policy on hold while she pursues her dream of representing
Great Britain at the next Paralympic Games.
“For a while, I worked three days a week as office
coordinator for the resettlement programme at the Refugee Council in Leeds,
while also training with the Para-rowing squad nearly 200 miles away in Reading,”
she said. “My training regime in the build up to the Tokyo 2020 Games is pretty
rigorous, but I would eventually like to work for a nongovernmental
organisation (NGO) in public policy.
“I feel privileged to have the opportunity to represent
my country at international competitions, which
I see as making the most out of an unfortunate situation.”
Geography
students at Northumbria have
gone on to roles in government and local authorities in countries across the
world, as elected MPs, heads of government departments and with
non-governmental organisations such as Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
and World Vision.
