Please select your home edition
Edition
Rooster 2025

Ellen MacArthur Trust together with Skandia

by Media/GN on 31 Dec 2005
Ellen MacArthur Trust Ellen MacArthur Trust
2005 has seen The Ellen MacArthur Trust take 45 children recovering from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illnesses sailing.

'Living every day with a serious illness, with …never-ending treatment makes my life seem so miserable at times. The four days were an amazing experience and incredibly enjoyable.' Children from all over the UK, including Northern Ireland, London, Derbyshire, Nottingham and the South Coast of England all spent four days learning about all aspects of life at sea, from helming the boat to washing up.

The charities two patrons Ellen MacArthur and Shirley Robertson, between them sailed with all children who attended the four-day trips.

Nine-year-old Camille Guest from Salisbury loved her first time sailing. 'It’s been so much fun, I really enjoyed the water fights and learning how to make certain types of knot. I’ve also learned how to put the mainsail up.'

'The best thing has been everything,' summed up 14-year-old Laura West from Winchester, 'But sailing is hard work!'

'Living every day with a serious illness, with what seems to be never ending treatment makes my life seem so miserable at times. Having the opportunity to take part in the wonderful sport of sailing brightens up my life. The four days were an amazing experience and incredibly enjoyable. All of the crew and volunteers became great friends. The whole trip was such fun that I found myself hoping that I will be given the chance to go back and sail again.' Explained fourteen-year-old Emma Greenaway.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust has just been named the official charity for Skandia Cowes Week for the next three years. Giving the Trust the platform to raise its profile and increase fundraising activities, which ultimately will allow more children suffering from a serious illness to be introduced to the joys of sailing.

2005 also saw the introduction of one-day sailing trips for life limited children and their families. The day is an escape from living with their illness and provide memories for the whole family that will stay with them forever.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust also started racing in 2005. Children who had previously enjoyed sailing on a four-day trip were invited to return and race in the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. In 2006 The Ellen MacArthur Trust plans to enter boats in both the Round the Island Race and Skandia Cowes Week for the first time.

Daniel Monk was one of the first sailors to attend an Ellen MacArthur Trust sailing trips in 2003. Daniel was made skipper of the Trust’s Round the Island Race entry in 2005 prior to being re-admitted to hospital in July for a bone marrow transplant. Sailing is one of Daniel’s inspirations to keep fighting his illness as he explained. 'Every time I feel really down I just think back to when we were on the boat and it puts a smile on my face. I look forward to going again. Hopefully as soon as I’m a bit better I’m going to go sailing straight away – I love it.'

Frank Fletcher, formally of UKSA and Partnership Manager for the Gipsy Moth project joined The Ellen MacArthur Trust as its first full-time employee in November. Frank has been involved with the Trust since it began, on a voluntary basis, as a Trustee.

He has been employed to manage all aspects of the Trust’s activity from the co-ordination and management of the sailing trips to raising the funds to secure the long term future of the Trust. He also intends to substantially increase the number of hospitals the Trust is involved with and in turn the number of children The Ellen MacArthur Trust can help.

Website: http://www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org

Background:

In the summer of 2000 some months before the start of the Vendée Globe round-the-world race, Ellen MacArthur went sailing in France with a group of children suffering from cancer and leukaemia. The trips were organised by the French charity ‘A Chacun son Cap’ (loosely translated as 'Everyone has a Goal’).

Ellen described it as one of the best day’s sailing she had ever had: 'We laughed so much we had tears in our eyes and the kids were just incredible.' Having worked with A Chacun son Cap. and also Sargent Cancer Care, for a couple of years, Ellen decided it was time to launch a similar project in the UK. This has become The Ellen MacArthur Trust, which is now a registered charity (no. 1096491).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
T: +44 0870 063 6774 or email info@ellenmacarthurtrust.org
North Sails Loft 57 PodcastHenri-Lloyd Dynamic RangesMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZ

Related Articles

Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title.
Posted today at 3:45 pm
GWA Youth Wingfoil World Championship overall
The Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom action rwaps up in Costa Brava The Surf-Freestyle and FreeFly-Slalom action at the the GWA 2025 Youth Worlds wrapped up after a week of intense action at San Pere Pescador, Spain, with the teenage champions chosen in the U14, U16 and U19 age groups.
Posted today at 7:24 am
A dream realised for Litchfield's Hound
The Nielsen 59 Hound finished the Transatlantic Race 2025 on July 5 Dan Litchfield's classic Nielsen 59 Hound, co-skippered by Tom Stark, finished the Transatlantic Race 2025 on July 5 in an elapsed time of 16 Days, 08 Hours, 49 Mins and 22 Secs.
Posted today at 7:08 am
OK Dinghy Europeans at Warnemünde day 1
Race wins for Daniel Björndahl, Andy Davis, Charlie Cumbley and Steen Christensen The 2025 OK Dinghy Europeans got under way in Warnemunde, Germany, on Sunday with race wins for Sweden's Daniel Björndahl, Britain's Andy Davis and Charlie Cumbley and Denmark's Steen Christensen.
Posted today at 4:52 am
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 2
Philip Köster triumphs again in Pozo Izquierdo Köster survives a late scare to earn an eighth Pozo event title, and first 5-star victory since 2022, in even windier conditions than Saturday.
Posted on 6 Jul
Grae Morris Takes on the iQFOiL Worlds
Shifty conditions on the first day in Aarhus, Denmark Aarhus, Denmark is serving up everything but predictability as the iQFOiL World Championships get under way, and Australian Olympic silver medallist Grae Morris is ready to assert his place at the top of the new Olympic cycle.
Posted on 6 Jul
A perfect start to the 5th annual AEGEAN 600
Cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind At the very southern end of the Greek mainland at Cape Sounion in Attica, today's start to the 5th edition of the AEGEAN 600 was perfect: cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind.
Posted on 6 Jul
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 4
One race, one storm, and one big lay day vibe With qualification wrapped and the fleet now split into six groups—Gold, Silver, Bronze, Emerald, Purple, and White—Day 4 of the 29er Europeans kicked off with early optimism and an earlier-than-usual launch in pursuit of the morning breeze.
Posted on 6 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 1
Full foiling conditions launch the World Championship with four high-intensity races for both fleets The iQFOiL World Championship kicked off today in Aarhus with dynamic and demanding conditions that truly tested the world's top foiling windsurfers. The wind was anything but steady, shifting in both direction and intensity throughout the day.
Posted on 6 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais overall
American Magic Quantum Racing win Rolex TP52 Worlds after breezy week in Cascais. Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing crew were crowned 2025 Rolex TP52 World Champions today in Cascais, Portugal.
Posted on 6 Jul