85 youngsters to live their dream
Eighty-five youngsters, who have suffered from cancer, are to emulate their heroine: Dame Ellen MacArthur, with a round Britain voyage following in the wake of the sailing star’s first shot at glory aboard her 21ft yacht Iduna in 1995.
Starting from Cowes on 3rd May, they will sail the 48 foot Scarlet Oyster the 2,000 nautical miles around Britain on a four month voyage stopping at 17 ports around Great Britain including Dover, London, Ipswich, Hull, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow (Largs), Belfast, Douglas, Liverpool, Holyhead, Cardiff, Torquay and Southampton.
The Voyage provides a unique opportunity for young people in recovery from cancer and leukaemia to return to the paediatric oncology wards of the hospitals they were treated in and communicate their experiences and recovery path to those currently undergoing treatment for cancer.
Throughout the course of the Voyage the Trust is aiming to raise £100,000.Trust Patrons Dame Ellen MacArthur and double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Roberston will both be taking part in the Voyage. Ellen MacArthur will be giving a series of public talks at venues across Britain in conjunction with the Voyage.