Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust - Official Charity
For many young people, picking up from where they left off before cancer is not possible. That's when the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust's work begins.
The nationwide charity inspires young people aged 8-24 to believe in a brighter future through free sailing and outdoor adventures. Whether diagnosed as a child, teenager, or young adult, cancer has a big impact on mental wellbeing beyond treatment. Friendships and relationships suffer, education is impacted, and they can live with body image issues and late effects that last way beyond their cancer.
Adjusting to this 'new normal' can be extremely difficult, which is when the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust works its magic. Young people gain a new sense of purpose and self-worth, rediscover their independence, and feel optimistic about what comes next in life. They realise what they are capable of, stop feeling like 'the only one', and their mental wellbeing improves. They believe in their brighter future.
"Everyone who enjoys Cowes Week knows sailing has the power to change lives. That's why, at the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, young people who have been through the trauma of cancer take a devastating experience and turn it into a positive on the water, together. By sailing with others who have been through what they've been through, they rediscover joy, a sense of belonging, and what they are capable of - which people have been discovering for themselves at Cowes Week for 200 years!"
"It means the world to be Cowes Week's official charity in its bicentennial year. It means young people looking for a place to turn after treatment will find somewhere they can take control of their lives again. Summer 2026 will be one to remember."
Lindsay Nehorai,
Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust
Fundraising Manager
