Sound Waves

Trip season is upon us! It goes without saying, but we cannot wait. 

In this episode, Luke and Heather reflect on their first-time trips, while looking forward to returning this summer for Round the Island Race. 

What difference have sailing trips made to their lives so far? Why do they want to come back for more? How does it feel being on the water with others who are 'in the same boat'? 

Whether you are looking for some pre-season hype, or you are coming along for the first time and want to feel reassured, Heather and Luke are here to share their memories and their excitement with you. Are you ready for our 2023 season? We are!

What we do and the difference we make aren't the same thing. Sailing is lovely, but at the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, we want young people to feel better at the end of their time with us than they did at the start. That's what impact is. 

Joining us in this episode are Omar and Jess. Omar came on his first four-day sailing adventure with the Trust last year, and he tells us about the impact he felt across that week and afterwards when he went back home. 

Jess has been with the Trust for some time, she was first supported 11 years ago, and has since become a volunteer and makes up part of the Trust’s Youth Advisory Group. She has seen impact happen across years of supporting young people who have returned for multiple trips. 

Also joining us is Karenza, the Trust’s communications manager. She has played a central role in making our 'Drive Impact' ambition come to life, and talks about how we plan on doing that to deliver better support for all young people. She also explains how our new impact dashboard works, which lets you see the impact we are having on young people in real time. 

It was a night to remember when Dame Ellen MacArthur launched 'Bigger Impact, Brighter Futures - Our Ambitions for 2023-2025' at the start of March. These Ambitions detail how we plan to reach, inspire, and support more young people than ever before over the next three years.

In this episode you will hear from people who were there that evening and who couldn't be more excited about what the future of the Trust looks like. 

Head to https://www.ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org/ to read more about our Ambitions and discover the impact dashboard talked about in this episode. 

Featuring:
- Founder and patron Dame Ellen MacArthur
- Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust CEO Frank Fletcher
- Bhav, Isla and Emily, who recently became volunteers for the Trust having previously been supported by us
- Rachel Kirby-Rider and Kate Collins, CEOs of Young Lives vs Cancer and Teenage Cancer Trust respectively
- Chair of our Board of Trustees and paediatric oncologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital Dr Dave Hobin
- Founder and Programme Leader at New Ways Letetia Gibson

When young people share their stories, they let others know that they're not alone in how they are feeling or what they are going through. 

That's why we speak to so many young people when they are here on trips: it's their voices that matter the most. 

This episode is made up of snippets from those conversations. It's about how young people feel, what they think, what they are looking for. 

Thank you to:
Callum
Nicole
Lucy
Roisin
Charlie
Griff
Chrissy
Amber
Kieran
John
Sara 

The Trust aims to be open to everyone who is looking for support, and for some, that isn’t a one-and-done thing. 

As young people feel more accepted, independent and optimistic, that might take place across their teenage years or into young adulthood. 

First up, 17-year-old Libby tells us about having been supported by the Trust since she was 10. She talks about why she keeps coming back and how her adventures with the Trust continue to provide her with what it is she needs and is looking for. 

Then Lucy, the Trust's Lead Return Trips Coordinator, gives an overview of why people come back, what the difference is between first time and return trips, what next year’s new trips look like, and why young people not coming back is also fine too. 

Living through and beyond cancer takes time, changes shape, requires different things, and is completely unique to everyone. We want to be there for when we’re needed, and what young people need is different year on year.

There are amazing people who donate to the Trust monthly. We call them Friends of the Trust. 

They provide long-term support to young people, which in turn leads to making a long-term difference to those young people’s lives. 

We thought, wouldn’t it be nice if a Friend of the Trust could sit down with someone who’s benefitted from that long-term support, and who feels that Friends of the Trust have made a long-term difference to their life?

So that's what you're about to hear. 

At the time of recording, Josh had been on three trips. Since then, he’s completed his training to become a volunteer with the Trust. He spoke with Stuart, a Friend of the Trust who has been donating monthly since 2014. He is a generous person through and through and exceptionally good company. 

With this episode we hoped to communicate to Stuart the difference he was making, but we couldn't have imagined what the conversation turned out to be like. 

We hope you feel as privileged as we did to be part of this conversation, and that you enjoy the longest episode of Sound Waves yet.

A shorter version of this conversation appears in this year’s edition of the Trust’s annual magazine, Inspire, which will be out in the next few weeks. 

This summer, our bases in Largs and East Cowes were buzzing with hundreds of young people on their first Trust adventures and those coming back for more. Others joined us elsewhere all across the UK. 

It was a summer to remember. CEO Frank Fletcher and skipper Becky sit down - in-person! - to have a chat about this wonderful time. 

They talk about best bits, the positive vibe, Frank explains more about the young people's questionnaire, and they celebrate the Trust community pulling together to make it all happen as we got #AllOnBoard.

It’s here! Our season starts this Saturday!

CEO Frank Fletcher joins the pod to give us an overview and introduction to the summer ahead.

He talks about a few other things too: research the Trust has done to make sure it’s having the best impact it possibly can; the three-way partnership with Teenage Cancer Trust and Young Lives vs Cancer; how he’s feeling heading into this summer after the last few years.

We’re so grateful that hundreds of young people will spend time with the Trust over the coming months as we get #AllOnBoard. It’s what the entire Trust community works towards all year round and we hope every young person coming along has a magical and inspiring time. 

Some young people really take to the sailing part of the Trust. That’s what happened with Emily. Being registered blind has impacted her life, she says, but she deals with it by throwing herself into a whole load of activities to prove to everyone she can still do them.

Emily recently completed her RYA Day Skipper course and will be joining the Trust for Round the Island Race this year.  Two of the Trust's skippers who helped Emily along the way join the conversation too. Andy was on Emily’s most recent trip and spoke to her about going for her Day Skipper. Ruaraidh was on the same trip and it was at his London School of Sailing that she took the course. 

With Emily also hooked on dinghy sailing and training for Blind GB match racing, we just had to invite her on to talk about her achievements.

Support her dad Ian as he takes on the Largs to Cowes Brighter Futures Cycle Challenge in June: https://largs-to-cowes.blackbaud-sites.com/ 

Ahead of the 2022 season starting later this month, we're taking it back to those first times, before you know what the Trust really is. 

You know there's sailing, hopefully you've seen some photos and videos, maybe you've even listened to this podcast.

There are nerves too. It's four days away from home, it could be the first time staying somewhere else after having cancer, there could be worries about navigating the boat with an amputation.

Dionne and Millie think back on their first trips (three years ago and twelve years ago, respectfully). They share similar stories of this wonderful, impactful, inspiring experience - with those nerves everyone else goes through as well! 

And it's not long 'til we do a whole load of first times all over again. We can't wait!