Round the Island - Charity Challenge

Once again there will be a charity challenge hitting the water at the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race (19 June 2010). Four cancer charities have each been provided a SailTime Beneteau Oceanis 40 yacht and an experienced skipper and first mate for the race, with the crews aiming to fundraise a combined total of £18,000. The challenge forms part of J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s continued commitment to charitable causes, which has helped raise over £350,000 during their time as title sponsor of the Round the Island Race.

Last year’s race saw the first edition of the challenge with charity ambassadors including Phoenix night’s comedian Dave Spikey joining the sail to help raise over £11,000. This year will be no different as former European and Commonwealth 400m champion Iwan Thomas will fly the flag for Macmillan. Prostate UK will have 18 year old sailor Mike Perham as their skipper, last year he famously entered the record books by becoming the youngest person ever to sail around the world. Whilst Ellen will support her crew on the water aboard another Ellen MacArthur Trust boat.

The remaining crew positions for Prostate UK, The Ellen MacArthur Trust, Breast Cancer Care and Macmillan will contain people who are involved with their specific charity.

The prize at the end is the right to claim the 2010 SailTime Charity Challenge Trophy which will be presented after the race to the winning charity team by triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie. The annual J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is a one-day yacht race around the Isle of Wight. The race regularly attracts over 1,700 boats and around 16,000 sailors, making it one of the largest yacht races in the world and the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs. The race is a great opportunity to watch world-renowned sailors racing on an equal basis alongside families and first timers.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust boat taking part in the Challenge will have a crew made up of the family and friends of young people who have previously sailed with the Trust. One of the crew will be Emma Stokes, from Stevenage, she has experienced first-hand the impact the Ellen MacArthur Trust can have on the confidence of young people recovering from cancer and leukaemia when her 16-year-old sister Victoria suffered bone cancer.

Trust Challenge crew member Emma said: “It’s fantastic how the Trust made Victoria feel normal again. The young people can discuss what they've been through without feeling embarrassed and no-one will stare at their thin hair that hasn't fully grown back yet or ask difficult questions. They can just have a lot of fun. I’m so pleased to be able to give something back”

You can support the crew here

Running for the Trust

If you fancy helping the Trust by raising much needed funds and enjoy running here are two events that may be of interest

Bupa Great South Run - Sunday 24th October

The Ellen MacArthur Trust had 75 places in the Bupa Great South Run 2010, Europe’s leading 10 mile road race. This is a fast flat course starting in Southsea, Portsmouth, which takes you past much of Britain’s naval heritage, including HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. Places are being snapped up fast and we have less than 20 left so please contact EMT to register your interest, and receive your online key code to complete your application.

Brighton Marathon Sunday 10th April

We have just secured 10 places in the Brighton Marathon these places are going to go quickly so if your interested don't delay and contact us today.

April Newsletter

We sent out our April e-newsletter today which includes a interview with Ellen, you can read it online here

Articles this month include include an interview with our Patron Dame Ellen MacArthur and a round up of all the news.

If you want to sign up for future e newsletters you can do so here

Update on giving back....

As I mentioned last week One of the key aims of the Ellen MacArthur Trust is to develop those who sail with us into volunteers once they are over 18.

You can read more on how they got on here

Giving Back......

One of the key aims of the Ellen MacArthur Trust is to develop those who sail with us into volunteers once they are over 18. So it's great that we are kicking off this years sailing activity with 15 volunteers who previously sailed with us training this week

The Trust knows from experience that these volunteers who have sailed as young people can provide very positive role models for those sailing for the first time just out of treatment . It also gives our young people the chance to learn more about sailing, and, in their words, to give something back to the Trust and those who are still at the beginning of their recovery journey.

You can read all about the week here http://tinyurl.com/y88jpyh

March Newsletter

We sent out our March e-newsletter today if you missed it you can read it online http://tinyurl.com/ybxmcwp

Articles this month include Daisys case study, an interview with Rachael one of the CLIC Sargent Social workers we work with and a round up of all the news.


If you want to sign up for future e newsletters you can do so here http://tinyurl.com/ybswtmm

Recycle and raise funds for the Trust

You can recycle your old mobile phone or ink cartridges and help the Trust while reducing landfill click here to find out

Exciting week at the Trust

Exciting week for us all at the Trust - Inspire the first issue of our Newsletter goes to print this week.

It has been a lot of work and Tracy and the team at RF Design have done a fantastic job, some of the original concepts came from our friends at Into the Blue. The proofs looks great and I can't wait for it to come back from the printers.

If you would like a copy - email your address to tracy.curtis@ellenmacarthurtrust.org.

February e-newsletter

We sent out our February e-newsletter yesterday if you missed it you can read it online here and sign up here to make sure you get the latest news.

Thanks to the great team at Intellegentia for their continued support of the trust and assitance with helping us to communicate what we do.

And don't forget it is not to late to sign up for our Round the Island cycle challenge, West Wight Triathlon and The BUPA Great South Run and help raise vital funds for the trust for more details contact jo.summers@ellenmacarthurtrust.org

We Won!!!!

We won two categories in the Hants Web Business Award for our website www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org which was built and designed by the team at OC Vision.

It's the first award that the Trust has ever won and we are all very proud.

You can find out more at http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hantswebawards/its-hantswebawards-winners09.htm

Could you spare 15 minutes.............

We are currently having a look at the core values of the Trust as part of a brand review.

Could you spare 15 minutes and help us to learn more about what the Trust means to you? nothing taxing just a few key questions that will help us as we move forward.

If you think you could help drop me a line at frank@ellenmacarthurtrust.org

January Newsletter

We sent out our January e-newsletter last week if you missed it you can read it online here and sign up here

In the Newsletter we have launched our Friends of the Trust

By becoming a Friend of the Trust, and making a regular donation, you can help us continue our work to inspire confidence and build friendships through sailing to young people who have been through so much during their treatment for cancer and leukaemia.

Having a guaranteed regular income is invaluable to a small charity like the Ellen MacArthur Trust, allowing us to plan ahead. If you sign up as a Friend of the Trust you will receive a certificate signed by Dame Ellen MacArthur and one of our new Ellen MacArthur Trust mugs in appreciation of your commitment. Simply download this Direct Debit form, complete and return back to us or log on to the Virgin Money Giving Website and set up a regular donation.

LBCC continue to support the Trust

Back in 1998 Peter Thompson, Steve Green and Phil Davis, who were all consultants for the Little Britain Office Development on London Wall organised a yacht race to mark the end of the project. The original wager for the single race was the price of a dinner, 22 years later it is the biggest regatta in England after Cowes Week, and is easily the biggest European industry event.

But LBCC is about so much more than a yacht race. Over the last 22 years LBCC has raised well over 1 million pounds for charity, and over the last five years provided the Trust with over £137,000 of support. We simply would not be where we are without LBCC. It was therefore with great pleasure that Jo, Tracy, myself and Ellen attended a reception on Thursday night where Ellen accepted a cheque on our behalf for this years support.

A huge thanks to all those involved in LBCC, you make what we do possible

You can find out more about the event here.

EMT RIB in the Snow

Many of you will have seen the EMT Rib out and about over the Summer. Our work horse spends the summer shifting kit, volunteers, staff and young people.

Here she is last week looking a little cold!

Into 2010........

Well the EMT office reopens tomorrow and we have lots of exciting plans for 2010.

Our summer trips will grow to accommodate the new hospital we intend to work with and maintain relationships with our current hospitals. We will offer more of our ‘return to sail’ programme. We intend to participate in the JPMorgan Round the Island Race with a minimum of three yachts, and run two weeks at our Bradwell Residential Dinghy Week.

Due to the success of longer cruising on the Round Britain voyage, we have an exciting new initiative, which we will be announcing later this year.

After discussions with medical professionals at the hospitals we work with, we will be running a Pilot Scheme to take a group of 18-24 year olds in recovery from cancer sailing for the first time. This experience will be much like our summer four-day trips for under 18’s but slightly adapted for the older group. We are very excited about this, its something that Tracy, Jo and myself have been hoping to do for a while.

All in all it looks like it could be another very exciting year – watch this space and thanks for your continued support.