Dame Ellen MacArthur's young people's cancer charity gets 3-year BBC Children in Need funding boost

Pudsey aboard an Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust yacht © Martin Allen Photography

Almost 100 young people living through and beyond cancer can look forward to a life-changing sailing adventure with Dame Ellen MacArthur's young people's cancer charity thanks to BBC Children in Need.

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust will receive £20,000 a year from 2026 to 2028 from BBC Children in Need, helping young people from all across the UK rebuild their lives after the trauma of cancer.

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust takes young people aged 8-24 on sailing and outdoor adventures to inspire them to believe in a brighter future living through and beyond cancer.

The money from BBC Children in Need will fund first-time four-day sailing adventures for under 18s from East Cowes on the Isle of Wight and Largs in Scotland.

BBC Children in Need previously helped establish the charity's second home in Largs, which opened in 2013, and enabled more young people to join transformational trips as demand grew.

Cancer can have a big impact on a young person's mental wellbeing beyond treatment. Whether diagnosed as a child, teenager or young adult, they are often left with fewer friends and struggle with relationships, their education suffers, they miss out on work experience, and can develop body image issues. Late effects, which often continue throughout adulthood, include infertility, extreme fatigue, osteoporosis, thyroid problems, and hearing or vision loss.

Adjusting to this 'new normal' can be extremely difficult, which is why when treatment ends, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust's work begins. 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.

Thanks to BBC Children in Need, more young people like Rosa Ross, from Edinburgh, will be able to experience the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust's unique magic. The 15-year-old was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of white blood cell cancer, at the start of 2024.

She said: "We're still just young people. We've been through this horrible thing, but we still have the same interests. The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has made a massive difference for me because they're still here for us and connecting us with other people who have finished treatment.

"You have a lot of freedom, you can have downtime if you need it, and it was just nice being out among nature. We even saw a seal!

"There's no judgement or anything like that. If you're fatigued, you're walking slower, nobody's judging. It's not out of the ordinary."

BBC Children in Need, Impact Officer - South East, Pam Bacon, said: "We're absolutely thrilled to be supporting the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust through BBC Children in Need funding. The Trust plays a vital role in helping children and young people in the local community build confidence and develop their self-esteem. This funding will enable them to take part in activities they might not otherwise have access to, and we're proud to help make that possible."

This year, 651 young people enjoyed one of these life-changing sailing or outdoor adventures either for the first time or returning to get the extended help and support they need over time.

Find out more at www.ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org