East Cowes-based Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust will receive a national spotlight in aid of young people living through and beyond cancer when it features on the BBC Radio 4 Appeal this Summer.
Each week, the BBC Radio 4 Appeal highlights a charity and the difference it makes with an appeal for donations.
This is a significant opportunity to tell the story of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s magic to the whole country and inspire listeners to donate to brighten young people’s futures after the trauma of cancer.
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is a national charity that 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 broadcast will air on Sunday 26 July and Thursday 30 July, narrated by Dame Ellen MacArthur, explaining why the charity is a lifeline to young people living through and beyond cancer, who often feel adrift in life after a devastating diagnosis. Cancer has a big impact on mental wellbeing beyond treatment, whether diagnosed as a child, teenager, or young adult.
Friendships and relationships suffer, education is impacted, and young people can live with body image issues and late effects that last way beyond their cancer.
Through the charity’s sailing and outdoor adventures, 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.
Central to the broadcast will be the story of 26-year-old Tegan Clarke, who sailed with the charity from Largs on Scotland’s west coast in 2025 and 2026. Diagnosed in 2018, it was only once she finished university and had gotten her ‘big girl job’ years later she found herself reflecting on how no one gets what she’s been through.
Tegan said:
“I had just started university in London when I began to feel ill. At first, we all thought it was just ‘freshers’ flu’. I was alone when they told me I had blood cancer.
“My family came, I got transferred to Leeds, and there was one moment where I got told I could die. From then on, that wasn’t a thought. It was positivity across the board. ‘You’re gonna get through this’.”
Years later, realising her friends didn’t understand what she had been and was still living with, Tegan wanted to connect with people her age who could relate to her experience with cancer.
When she arrived in Largs, she knew it was what she’d been needing:
“Straight away I saw the marina was so beautiful. I could sit on my own and have a bit of reflection time. Everyday life is like ‘what’s the next thing?’ over and over, so this felt peaceful.
“I got on the boat, and it was a judgement-free zone. You don’t know anyone beforehand, so you’re really putting yourself out there. A few minutes after we all met, we knew we’d have a good few days. The dynamic was special.
“I never thought I’d be around people who had been through what I’ve been through ever again or find people I could relate to, or who could relate to me. The sense of community is unparalleled. Everyone is there for the sole purpose of making people’s lives a bit better.
“Being out on the water, it’s quiet, it’s calm. But it’s so vibrant at the same time. Just sitting in front of a sunset by yourself for 10 minutes really clears your head. I rediscovered things about myself, like my passion, my drive, and my peace as well.”
Lindsay Nehorai, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s Fundraising Manager, said:
“We’re so delighted to be part of the BBC Radio 4 Appeal. It means a huge amount to us to be able to share the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s story with new listeners and to shine a light on the difference this support makes for young people. We’re incredibly grateful for the chance to reach even more people this year and for everything it will make possible.”
Find out more about the charity and donate at ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org or follow @emctrust on social media.
