For almost eight years, I’ve had the privilege of working with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. During that time, I’ve watched something extraordinary happen time and time again.

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.

I’ve seen young people arrive carrying fear, uncertainty and a loss of confidence that no child or young adult should ever have to experience. Then, over the course of a few days, I’ve watched them laugh again, trust again, challenge themselves and begin to believe that cancer doesn’t define who they are or what their future can be.

It’s impossible not to be changed by witnessing that.

So when I decided to climb a mast, people asked if I was nervous…. But that fear is fleeting.

It’s a choice.

The young people I’ve met through the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust didn’t choose their fear. They didn’t choose hospital wards, chemotherapy, endless appointments or the uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis. Yet they have shown a level of resilience, determination and bravery that continues to humble me every single day.

Climbing a mast is only one small way of pushing myself outside my comfort zone. It doesn’t compare to the adversity these young people have faced. If anything, it reminds me just how extraordinary they are.

Please, if you’re able, donate whatever you can. Your support helps give young people the chance to rebuild their confidence, rediscover their independence and realise that, after cancer, they can believe in a brighter future again.

Thank you for helping me support a charity that has changed so many lives and one that has changed mine too!