Chelsea Brown (18 years old) from Peterlee, County Durham has taken part in a unique and life changing opportunity, sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. The Trust aims to inspire young people’s cancer recovery through sailing, and Chelsea took part in one of the Trust’s three day yacht adventures as one of 20 young people, all aged over 18 years old from across the UK, in recovery from cancer and leukaemia. They took charge of five yachts around the Solent waters off the Isle of Wight (3-6 September).

Chelsea was diagnosed with Aplastic Anaemia in 2008, undergoing treatment at Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle and finishing treatment in September 2010. After the trip, Chelsea said:

“It’s been so good, I’ve never been sailing before and the skipper was fantastic. I would definitely come again, I enjoyed it all but one of the highlights was crashing round on the jet skis. Meeting new people in the same boat as you is a positive thing, you’re not on your own on trips like this and no one judges”

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is a charity that supports young people aged between 8-24 who are recovering from cancer and other serious illnesses. Launched in 2003 by Dame Ellen MacArthur, the Trust’s main activity is taking young people on four-day sailing trips to help them rebuild their confidence, giving the young people a chance to test themselves in a safe and supportive environment. Each young person has the challenge to help sail the yachts, and are encouraged to work as a team by getting involved in everything from helming the boat to cooking.

The three day sailing trip set sail from Cowes on the Isle of Wight on September 3rd, with the young people spending two nights sleeping on board the boats. They spent the trip navigating the waters of the Solent, which took them to various stopover ports, giving the young people the opportunity to test their new skills on the water.

Dame Ellen commented, “These young adults are truly amazing. They face experiences that no one should ever have to go through, and yet they do it with the biggest smile on their faces, they are truly inspiring”.

There are many ways you can support The Trust with your time, money or services. To help them to continue to provide support and encouragement to young people in recovery from cancer visit www.ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org