Pigeons help lift Ellie out of illness trauma
SINCE TAKING up pigeon racing, Ellie Davidson’s confidence has soared.
The Driffield teenager was diagnosed with ME, a medical condition characterised by debilitating long-term fatigue, in her final year of GCSEs.
Her mother Susan Davidson says it is like a “rollercoaster” leaving Ellie sometimes on crutches, incredibly tired or then, inexplicably, going 48 hours without sleeping.
Having to be home-tutored last year dented Ellie’s selfconfidence and left her feeling lonely. “The worst thing for me is my friends don’t understand it,” she said. “They think because I look fine I must be fine.”
Luckily she has had an outlet in the form of pigeons – the hobby of her stepfather Sam Jackson. “It gives me something to do. It is a confidence builder and it is another reason to get out of bed when I feel horrible.” The 17-year-old, now at East Riding College, won the Royal Pigeon Racing Association Young Fancier Award last year. Last month she won £1,800 when her bird Denali came in sixth in a 240-mile race. Chief executive of the RPPA Ian Evans said they were proud “to know how much the birds have changed Ellie’s life for the better,” adding: “We know that she is going to be a super star within the pigeon community.”
We know that she is going to be a super star within the pigeon community Chief executive of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association Ian Evans.