First boat sails from Ellen MacArthur trust hub

Yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur. Picture: getty

In January, the trust launched a facility in Largs, North Ayrshire, where young people recovering from cancer and leukaemia can rebuild their confidence through sailing. In the inaugural venture from Largs this week, two groups sailed to the Isle of Bute before returning via Millport on the island of Great Cumbrae.

Dame Ellen MacArthur, the yachtswoman who broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2005, founded the trust in 2003 for young people between the ages of eight and 24 to take part in four-day yacht trips.

She said: “The sailing trips are about taking young people away from an environment where cancer, recovery, remission are words being focused on day in, day out, and giving them the opportunity to learn a new skill and meet new people who understand exactly how they are feeling.”

£55,000 was donated to the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust from the People’s Postcode Lottery, of which £40,000 was used to establish the hub in Largs.

Previously, young people in Scotland wishing to sail with the trust had to travel to the Isle of Wight.