Football fan champions epilepsy support

Ellie Thornton said she was "very open" about the condition

A football fan has teamed up with a leading charity to raise awareness about epilepsy.

Ellie Thornton, from North Newington, Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with the condition aged 14 and has helped start the initiative between Banbury United FC and Epilepsy Society.

The charity's logo now features on the sleeves of the club's home and away first team shirts.

Club director Ryan Duggleby said it had started conversations around what people could do to support someone having a seizure.

Ms Thornton, who was talking during National Epilepsy Awareness Month, said she had wanted to both raise awareness and help the club financially.

"You're quite likely in your lifetime to see somebody having a seizure and not many people know what to do, it's quite scary," she said.

"The biggest advice that you're given is just to keep calm which is really hard to do in the moment."

She said the condition had impacted her friendships, relationships, studies and work.

"You go through life with a weird anxiety because you never know when you could drop down and what injuries are going to come with that," she added.

BBC Action Line: Information and Support - Epilepsy

Ms Thornton said that while it could be a "sensitive topic" for some, she was "very open" about it.

"I welcome questions and will answer them as best I can with the knowledge that I have, certainly around my types of seizures," she commented.

The club hosted a charity golf day last month and Ms Thornton said Epilepsy Society representatives had invited them to their headquarters.

Mr Duggleby said seeing support from the fans was "brilliant".

"...somebody could be having a seizure in the stands, a player could have a seizure, there could be head contact that can trigger seizures as well," he said.

"You don't have to be a neurosurgeon to really make a difference ... and if we can spread that to our to our fanbase, both in person and beyond, I think that's fantastic."