The Ellen Macarthur Cancer Trust
Duchy Health Charity has awarded a grant of £11,009.65 towards The Ellen Macarthur Cancer Trust ‘Cornwall Young People Sailing and Outdoor Adventure Trips project’.
The Trust enables young people with cancer, living and treated in Cornwall, to attend a transformational sailing experience in Cowes, Isle of Wight, or to attend an outdoor adventure centre in one of the Trust’s partnership centres located across the country in areas such as the Peak District or Herefordshire.
When cancer treatment ends, that is when the Trust’s work begins.
Cancer has a huge detrimental impact on mental and physical wellbeing of the young people impacted. Picking up where they left off before their diagnosis is not possible. Future plans are often aborted, as life is turned up-side-down. It is almost impossible to go back to ‘normal’ when everything has changed.
The programme offers young people from Cornwall the chance to travel out of the county and provides them with an opportunity to experience an adventure away from home.
Travel can relieve stress and improve mental wellbeing by boosting creativity and breaking up monotony. This can be particularly beneficial in the context of young people who are post-cancer treatment and looking to move forward in life.
By attending a trip, young people have an opportunity to make connections that can last a lifetime.
Benefits vary from lifelong friendships to career inspiration. Peer connections, socialisation and inspiring role models all benefit those who attend these magical trips.
The Trust also continues to support each young person who has experienced a trip by offering mental health and year-round support beyond the trip. They work in partnership with specialist youth charity, Mind Over Cancer, so young people who need further support can apply to take part in monthly free mental wellbeing sessions.
In total 15 young people from Cornwall were funded to take part in the programme with one of them saying:
“My goodness, everyone should come on this trip, if you’re reading this and you can. Please come, it would literally change your life forever. I’m a different person now. So, yeah, it’s just the most amazing thing. I’m so glad it exists to, you know, help support people like me.”
Dame Ellen MacArthur was inspired to set up the charity following the experience she had with a French charity when she saw the amazing difference sailing had on helping young French children rediscover themselves in the confusing aftermath of cancer. She knew the UK needed something similar and over 20 years later The Ellen Macarthur Cancer Trust are still providing this unique and transformative service in the UK.