Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust set sails for 15th year
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| The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is set to start its summer season of trips with young people in recovery from cancer.
2018 marks a special year for the Trust as it celebrates its 15th year of operation. From the first trip in 2003 where just five young people joined the charity, in 2018 the Trust will take over 663 young people sailing over the next four months. The Trust, set up by Dame Ellen MacArthur in 2003, works with young people aged 8-24 in recovery from cancer. It provides a lifeline after treatment to start re-building their lives and confidence, using the power of sailing as a mechanism for this. Whilst there are many fantastic charities supporting young people during treatment, there are very few that fill the void for young people after treatment has ended. The young people are initially invited to take part in a four-day sailing trip, they get involved in every aspect of running a yacht including domestic routines. They live, sleep and eat on the yacht and sail from place to place, enabling them to step out of their illness in an environment which is inspiring, challenging and fun. They are with other young people who have undergone similar treatments, share the same worries and have also had their confidence stripped away. The atmosphere a boat creates has an incredibly positive effect, concentrating very much on what they can achieve rather than what they cannot. Emily from Bristol went on her first trip last year and will be returning on a four-day sailing trip on the Solent this summer. “After treatment many of us feel like we’ve been dropped and find it extremely hard to get back to where we were and feel accepted by society again, thankfully the Trust helps pick us up after this dramatic drop” The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is unique in the respect that it not only supports young people immediately after this period of treatment to rebuild their confidence and support them through this critical and often isolating stage after treatment has finished, but they offer a long-term support for young people. They enable those who have sailed previously to come back and volunteer with the charity through their Return to Sail and volunteer programme. The Trust believes in the importance of creating a lasting impact, through supporting the young people along the journey to recovery and beyond. After the initial trip, the Trust annually invites them back to take part in other sailing events until they are 24. These events include Round the Island Race, a week-long residential at the Bradwell outdoors Centre in Essex, Outdoor Adventure in Cornwall, Water Park in the Lake District and cruising in the West Coast of Scotland, and the East Coast of England. The Trust would not exist without the amazing support from individual donors, fundraisers, volunteers and grants. This year will see their two newest boats, Solent Hero and Caledonian Hero set sail from our bases on the south coast and Scotland. These boats, which are uniquely adapted for the Trust, allow them to work with a wider range of young people especially those with visual or mobility disabilities, which has been made possible due to their biggest supporter players of People’s Postcode Lottery. The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has secured 50 places for the Simply Health Great South Run, Europe’s leading 1o mile road race. Sign up to be part of one of their biggest fundraising events this year and help transform the lives of young people recovering from cancer. www.ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org/getinvolved |
