A maritime initiative that is helping youngsters recover from a cancer diagnosis sailed into the north-east yesterday.
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust was established in 2003 by the eponymous yachtswoman after she sailed with a French group which provides support for children with cancer.
Her trust has subsequently helped more than 1,550 young people from across the UK and the children involved have taken part in over 190 sailing trips, designed to help them regain confidence and independence which was lost during treatment.
This summer, children getting assistance from the charity will sail 2,400 miles around the UK and visit more than 60 coastal communities.
And yesterday, they departed from Peterhead to stay the night at Stonehaven.
The participants aim to finish their journey on September 23 in Largs.
Dame Ellen MacArthur said: “The trust aims to rebuild young people’s confidence through positive, shared experiences.
“For every young person the trust currently support, there are nine we cannot yet.
“As well as providing a phenomenal adventure for the 100 young people directly involved, we hope that by explaining what we do in more towns and cities across the UK, we can help a greater number of young people in recovery from cancer in the future.”
A spokeswoman added: “The project is about a lot more than sailing.
“It is about rebuilding confidence, self-belief and the independence of those involved.
“The crew are also taking time away from the cameras to visit hospitals to support young people still in treatment.”
The nine-person crew will change over regularly throughout the journey to allow children, who have been involved with the charity, to sail in their local regions.
Many of the young people involved will be sailing into or out of their home areas.
One of those involved with the trust said it helped her turn a “big negative” into a positive.
Another added: “Even if you have an illness like cancer, it doesn’t mean that you have to stop having fun.”
