Twelve young people are diagnosed with cancer every day, and they are at the heart of the new Ambitious launched by Dame Ellen MacArthur’s cancer charity.
Titled ‘Connection, Belonging and Brighter Futures – our Ambitions for 2026-2029’, the plans detail how the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust will work to ensure every young person diagnosed with cancer under 25 can get the vital support they need after their treatment ends.
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust 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.
Prior to the charity’s last set of Ambitions lasting 2023-2025, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust had no online mental wellbeing support, carbon measurement, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Plan, and its impact dashboard and new volunteer strategy were just getting started.
Now, these are established parts of the charity’s day-to-day, at the same time as the amount of young people accessing its support has returned to and exceeded pre-COVID levels.
These new Ambitions for 2026-2029 focus on increasing the number of young people the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust supports each year, growing income by at least 15% by the end of 2029, and continuing to put belonging and lived experience at the heart of decision making so they are built-in by design.
In particular, the Ambitions for young people and siblings focus on ensuring they can access the right support, and experience the greatest possible impact, at the time they need it most.
Since 2003, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust has inspired more than 3,700 young people from across the UK to believe in a brighter future living through and beyond cancer. More than 700 young people are invited to join transformational trips this summer alone, some for the first time and some returning for further support.
For more information about the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, including ‘Connection, Belonging and Brighter Futures – our Ambitions for 2026-2029’ to download in full, visit ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org.
