Musto employees support young people in recovery from cancer

by Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust on 24 Oct 2017 When Ellen first set up her cancer charity in 2003 Musto, one of her main sponsors throughout her sailing career, naturally extended their support. The relationship between the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Musto has continued to grow from strength to strength, as have the numbers of young people who now come sailing.

Most recently Musto signed a new three-year contract with the Trust, which includes the provision of 1000 long sleeved t-shirts and caps for the young people and volunteers involved in the trips, as well as becoming one of the main sponsors of the Round Britain 2017 voyage.

This year, four ambitious Musto employees decided to take on the challenge of the Great South Run having met some of the inspirational young people who have sailed with the charity during their Round Britain 2017 Voyage.

Annaleigh Hockaday, Senior Designer and Sustainability Officer at Musto, explained how the internal awareness of the charity has increased after the Trust yacht moored outside Musto at St Katharine's Dock, during the Round Britain voyage: 'We were just blown away by the young ambassadors; what incredible young people. They explained and promoted the charity in such a way that everybody came back to the office full of enthusiasm for the charity and so we wanted to do something to help, which is why we're here today.'

The 10-mile event, which took place on Sunday 22nd October, gives participants a unique opportunity to run through Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard, passing iconic landmarks such as HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose Museum.

The flat course has been graced by world-class athletes such as Liz McColgan, Paula Radcliffe, Sonia O'Sullivan, and Mo Farah, who won the men's race in 2009 and is definitely not for the faint hearted.

Completing the race in a time of 77 minutes, Alex Russell explained how he felt inspired to run on behalf of the Trust saying: 'I couldn't get over the ambition and energy of the young people I met when they docked at St Katharine's, they were all so admirable. It's been great running on behalf of the Trust, knowing it's such a worthwhile cause.'

The aim of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is to rebuild confidence after cancer, using sailing to support, empower and inspire young to imagine a future they may never have thought possible after treatment.

Ashton Howard from the Trust commented: 'We are extremely grateful to Musto for their long-term support and we're thrilled to see their employees getting more involved with the Trust. It shows real commitment to take on this type of challenge. The combined effort of our team of 48 runners will make a huge difference to so many young people in recovery from cancer.'