More Mates, More Magic

The magic of Dame Ellen MacArthur’s cancer charity isn’t in the sailing itself, but the environment being on a boat creates. Yet for those who do fall in love with being on the water, there are opportunities to develop their sailing skills – both for their own benefit and for other young people living through and beyond cancer.

This summer, 651 young people living through and beyond cancer joined transformational sailing and outdoor adventures at the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.

The work that goes into these trips – 37 in all from May to September – is immense. It is vital every one of those young people feels safe, supported, and inspired to believe in their brighter future during their time with the charity.

Volunteers are key to achieving this. That’s why the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has introduced annual Mate training, comprising RYA Watch Leader and RYA Competent Crew courses. This is for volunteers ready to take on more responsibility, develop their sailing skills, and feel more equipped to take care of young people on the water.

The training took place at the charity’s bases in East Cowes and Largs, with nine volunteers taking part across two groups.

One of those volunteers was Vic Sanches, 28, who was supported by the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust each year from 2013 to 2017, after she was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma, a type of brain tumour in 2008.

She said: “Knowing I can be part of making a young person’s trip safe and fun as a Mate on board means the world to me. My goal is to one day have my Day Skipper, so this course is a step towards where I want to be.

“As someone who has been turned down multiple times from sailing schools due to my medical conditions, having the opportunity to take on such an important role meant so much to me.”

A better volunteer

Crews on the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s sailing adventures are made up of a Skipper, a Crew Leader, and a Mate. Crew Leaders prioritise young people’s enjoyment and involvement on board, but don’t require any sailing experience, while Mates assist the Skipper and ensure the safety of the crew and young people on board.

Becky Ellis, Deputy Operations Manager and Skipper, led the training course from East Cowes. She said:

“The mate training courses we ran were fab to upskill our volunteers for future trips.

“It was great to run two courses simultaneously so the volunteers could concentrate on the right skills for where they are on their sailing journey and feel confident to help young people and the Skipper during trips.  

“We completed loads of skills and drills under sail and engine, taking it in turns doing every role. This way, they can feel confident to help teach the young people how to sail, get the boat prepared, come on and off the pontoons and put to bed each day.”

Ammarah Lorgat completed the training last year and sailed as a Mate for the first time in 2025. She first joined a trip in 2019 after having been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a kind of blood cancer, in 2017.

She said:

“The best part was transferring my skills to the young people, and having more confidence to teach them knots and answer questions about sailing. The course really enriched my experience and allowed me to be a better volunteer.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to take part in the training as it is something I wouldn’t normally have the chance to do. It was engaging and it related to the work we do with young people.”

Keeping the magic

The two RYA courses are designed to progress volunteers from Crew Leaders to Mates, strengthening the team while providing volunteers with a sailing qualification that benefits them in their own lives too.

It also provides the opportunity to increase diversity amongst the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust volunteer pool, including addressing a gender imbalance. Typically, its volunteers with sailing qualifications skew male, but all bar one of the volunteers who took part in the training were female.

This is so important: if young people don’t see themselves represented in the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust team, they won’t feel the Trust is for them.

Krissi Cartright-Riley, Volunteer and Team Development Manager, said: “It is so vital to have a flexible and versatile volunteer community so our trip teams are geared up to have the biggest impact possible on young people.

“Being able to run this training means we get to work with volunteers who already know and understand what we do and provide them with opportunities to improve their sailing and gain qualifications which they might not be able to access otherwise.”

It is one of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s core ambitions to ‘keep the magic’ as it grows, so more young people can experience a life-changing sailing adventure; this means, as the charity grows, none of the transformational impact on young people’s lives is lost. Investing in and developing its volunteer base has been ,and continues to be, an essential part of that goal.

Young people often miss out on school and work opportunities due to their diagnosis and treatment. The Mate training is another chance to learn new skills and take part in new experiences. They can fill in gaps on their CV or in job applications from the responsibilities they take on as Crew Leaders or Mates.

By progressing existing Crew Leaders to Mates, more Crew Leader spaces also become available. This makes it possible for even more young people to return as volunteers. Of 372 current volunteers, almost a third (117) were supported by the Trust after treatment. This is vital for young people who have more recently finished treatment seeing what life can be like in the future and having aspirational role models to look up to and talk to.

Next summer, hundreds more young people looking for somewhere to turn after a devastating diagnosis will set sail with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust for the first time. Thanks to this training, the volunteers who guide and inspire them will be more prepared than ever to steer them towards their brighter future.

Support the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is a national charity that takes young people aged 8-24 living through and beyond cancer on sailing and outdoor adventure trips to inspire them to believe in a brighter future. In 2024, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust supported 671 young people – the most since it was founded in 2003.

Young people living through and beyond cancer need somewhere to turn, and the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has to be there for them. You can be the reason a young person feels inspired to believe in their brighter future. Please show your support at ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org.