Sail 4 Cancer seeks to improve the quality of life for people of all ages who have been affected by cancer and their families. They offer a variety of respite experiences, giving families and individuals opportunities to switch off from the realities of everyday life.
As my love of sailing and my skills in it grew, I began to look for means to train to become an instructor so that I could pass on my love of sailing to others with difficulties or disadvantages. An ambassador for Sail 4 Cancer was keen to help me and together we worked out a plan of action. Eventually, I travelled to Greece on my own in May 2014 and successfully completed an RYA Dinghy Instructor course. Following this, I stayed on in Greece and took part in 2 weeks’ work experience aged 18.
On my return at the end of June the rest of the year I regularly volunteered at my sailing club and, under the guidance of the senior instructor, assisted with the teaching. I also volunteered and help out on sailability days, supported charity events at a range of different sailing clubs and volunteered at commercial centers to gain more experience.
Sail 4 Cancer helped me to realise my potential, build my confidence, put me in social situations I had not been in before and without them I would not be where I am today. I was all fired up and wanted to find more opportunities to develop which in the future will lead me to help others more.