03 August 2007
3rd August 07
The Ellen MacArthur Trust starts the second year as the official charity for Skandia Cowes Week today (Friday 3rd August). After a phenomenal fundraising effort last year, The Trust has been able to expand their sailing programme substantially.
“Last year was an amazing result for everyone involved, we were overwhelmed with the response, the fundraising made a huge impact on the Trust’s programme for 2007. The £90,000 raised at Skandia Cowes Week enabled us to work with four new hospitals, take twice as many children out sailing compared to 2006 and establish a residential sailing course. We cannot do what we do without this amazing support, thank you to everyone who took part and who will be taking part again this year, we are looking forward to another great Skandia Cowes Week.” Ellen MacArthur (Trust Patron).
Monies raised in year one of a three year term as the official charity to Skandia Cowes Week has allowed The Ellen MacArthur Trust to further expand how they support the long term well being of the children they take sailing. In addition to the four-day sailing trips, 2007 will see the first week-long residential sailing course starting in August. This course aims to provide a support structure for children that invites them to continue joining The Trust after their treatment has finished, seeing them return yearly through to remission and also giving them the opportunity to progress through the RYA dinghy scheme.
From Friday 3rd August, The Ellen MacArthur Trust stand will be back on Cowes Parade, it will feature a state of the art sailing simulator with Trust patrons Ellen MacArthur and Shirley Robertson setting their own personal times for people to beat, prizes will be awarded each day for the top times. The official Charity Day for Skandia Cowes Week will be Monday 6th August, The Trust will attempt to “Turn Cowes Blue”, encouraging everyone to get involved by following a blue theme to celebrate the day, G. H. Mumm Champagne and Trust caps will be awarded to the most creative efforts. The charity day’s events will culminate in The Ellen MacArthur Trust Ball at Cowes Yacht Haven.
This year The Trust has joined forces with Island-based skincare specialists and Skandia Cowes Week skincare sponsor Liz Earle. Ellen MacArthur Trust lanyards with Liz Earle sunscreen SPF 25 are available to buy from the stand for £5.00 with all proceeds kindly donated to The Trust. Raffle tickets will also be on sale with the chance to sail onboard one of the most exciting boats racing at this year’s regatta, the Extreme 40. At 40-foot long, these lightweight carbon fibre catamarans can reach exhilarating speeds of up to 40 knots (just under 50 miles per hour). For more information visit The Ellen MacArthur Trust stand located on Cowes Parade, open from 10am until 8pm each day,
Whilst activities on land aim to raise funds for The Trust, children from all over the UK (ten in total) will be racing each day onboard the 48–foot monohull Scarlet Oyster. The children, who
are all suffering or in recovery from cancer and leukaemia, have sailed with The Trust before, returning to represent the charity at one of the biggest sailing regattas in the world. For daily
updates on activities both on land and shore, as well as a daily fundraising total log onto:
http://www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org
Text To Win Competition
To celebrate our second year as official charity of Skandia Cowes week we have teamed up with Corum Swiss Timepieces with a new “Text to Win” competition, with the chance to win a Corum Swiss
Timepiece worth £3,695.
Question: Where does Skandia Cowes Week take place?
1. London 2. Cowes 3. New York
Text the word EMT followed by a space and the number 1, 2, or 3 and send to 80806. (E.g. EMT 1 or EMT 2 or EMT 3 to 80806) (entry costs £3 (2 x £1.50 texts) plus your usual network charges. The Ellen MacArthur Trust receives £1.28p from each entry), for full terms and conditions please see the website http://www.ellenmacarthurtrust.org
For further information about Skandia Cowes Week, log onto: http://www.skandiacowesweek.co.uk