Sound Waves

When young people come on a first time trip with the Trust, it’s either in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight or Largs in Scotland. In this episode, we take a closer look at Largs. What should you expect when you come here? What are you going to see and feel? The Largs team were rounded up for the first ever in-person Sound Waves. James, Lorna, Hayley, and Scott talk about what young people can look...

This week we’re taking a step back to look at the big picture: the development of the Trust community. Back in 2020, the Trust launched our Ambitions. One of these was to strengthen our frontline, which means "focusing on volunteer and skipper development and management to ensure all young people get the best outcomes possible from their trip.” In this episode we talk to Alex Guerandel, who s...

After the unforeseen circumstances of last year, we were able to run activities this summer – we got back on board! It felt amazing having young people back at our bases, and new for this year, it was exciting taking the Trust to the young people as part of our Taste of the Trust programme.  These days were new to everyone, so we thought it’d be good to start back with an episode talking to two yo...

We're so glad to have this year's recipient of the Luke Gilbert Volunteer of the Year award back on Sound Waves - Wen Stone!  The Trust community put forward who they want to see honoured, and nominations for Wen just kept on coming in. We chat about what it was like to win, why she ended up getting so involved over the last year, and we reflect on the year itself and our hopes from here...

One of the most impactful parts of a Trust trip, if not the most impactful, is bringing young people together. It might be the first time they’ve met someone else their age who’s been through what they’ve been through. That’s the ethos behind Alike as well. A digital community for people with cancer by people with cancer, this week we’re talking to its founder Brad, and one of its Trustees Rachel,...

It's happening! After months (and months) of planning, we are so excited to share our hopes for summer 2021.  Join Trust CEO Frank, Operations Managers James and Laura, and medical advisor and Trustee Dr Dave Hobin, as they take you through everything you need to know. What does the season look like, how did it come together, how will we make trips as safe as possible? All your questions and...

This week we’re talking about something we want everyone to know about, because it is one of the best ways for young people to have their voices heard among the massive Trust community: the Trust's Youth Board.  The Youth Board is a group of young people who’ve been supported by the Trust in the past, and they're there to help and amplify the voices of young people and their families. Th...

Following on from James and Krissi sharing their lived experience of overcoming barriers to education and employment last week, Professional Careers Consultant Emma Francis joins us to give her expert advice on what you can be doing right now that will stand you in good stead for the future. Emma is the Trust’s parent Trustee, and her daughter has been supported by the Trust, so she has specific i...

As National Careers Week approaches, young people and professionals will be sharing their experience and insight about overcoming barriers to employment following cancer at a young age. James and Krissi were supported by the Trust before becoming volunteers and joining the Trust's Youth Board. They have both featured in the Trust’s My Life Now series, which checks back in with young people to...

Greg and Georgie have both been through cancer, they both have experience with brain tumours, and they recently stole the show on Grand Designs as they built their dream home together. The young couple met on a Trust trip ten years ago and, following on from their amazing Grand Designs episode, now seemed like the perfect time to check back in with them.  From going through the struggles of treatm...

Today we’re talking about vaccines. Specifically, the COVID-19 vaccines. They’re in the news every day, we know the order in which different groups of people will receive them, but we can never have enough reassurance about how they’ve been made, how they work, and how they’re administered. Frank Fletcher, the Trust’s CEO, sets the scene, explaining why we're talking about this now. Dr Dave H...

Young people, aged 13 and under, experience mental health as much as teenagers and adults. They may express it differently, they might not have the words to communicate how they’re feeling, but it doesn’t mean it's any less present. In this episode we talk about noticing ways under 13s display their mental health, what support there is out there, and the importance of listening, as part of Ch...

It's not every day you raise over £4.7m, but that's just what Lewis did when he was part of this year's Rickshaw Challenge for Children in Need. He returns to Sound Waves to talk about what it was all like, from having to cycle at home after someone in the crew contracted COVID-19, to bonding with his teammates over Zoom. Joining him is Pam, a regional grants officer at Children in...

The Luke Gilbert Volunteer of the Year award was created to recognise when someone goes above and beyond to ensure young people in recovery from cancer have the support they need. The award was named for Luke Gilbert, a young man who sailed with the Trust while in recovery and who went on to become the kind of volunteer everyone loved and looked up to. It was set up in his name to remember him and...

Thank you. For making sure we were there to support young people throughout 2020. For ensuring we'll be there for them in 2021. For being there with us through the most difficult year the Trust has faced.  Thank you. Host Scott is joined by Trust CEO Frank Fletcher, as well as Leanna, Morven, John, and Ed, who all planned to join us on trips this year. Instead, they were at the heart of the T...

Following her treatment for alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, Ellie became infertile and started living with the menopause.  She tells Sound Waves how her friends were talking about boyfriends and periods while she felt 18 going on 80. Her experience had impacted her plans for a family and she was constantly exhausted. But she adapted. Ellie has since found all the right support and is in control of the...

Content warning: This episode contains references to hair loss, amputation, and weight fluctuations. This week, we're talking to Sarah. She was supported by the Trust while in recovery from osteosarcoma, a diagnosis which led to her leg being amputated when she was 16, along with other changes to her body. Now in her mid-20s, Sarah shares her story by giving talks to school pupils and other y...

This past weekend saw World Mental Health Day. The day itself will mean lots of different things to different people, but what we’ve chosen to do is have a chat about what 2020 has been like, with a positive twist. Wen is a volunteer and was supported by the Trust when she was younger, and joined us on the first episode of Sound Waves earlier in the year. Jack has been supported by the Trust on a...

For a lot of people, their time with the Trust isn't a one-and-done. They return for more trips, then maybe they go on to become volunteers, constantly taking ownership of each new experience. They're able to take their relationship with the Trust into the future with them, as their lives change from one thing to another. This week we're joined by Charlotte and Alex, two young peopl...

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. What these awareness days, weeks, and months do is put into focus the specificities of lived experienced. We talked about sarcoma awareness back in season 2, and hearing George, Chloe, and Lewis talk about what that diagnosis had been like for them was illuminating. This week, we're talking to Holly and Thomas. Holly's been involved with the Tru...

We know recovery doesn't end when treatment does. Survivor's guilt can hang over a young person as they move forward with their lives, remembering their peers who passed away. And despite being a difficult and conflicting feeling, often it goes unshared and unsupported.  Teenage Cancer Trust Nurse Consultant Sue Morgan MBE & Annie, who has sailed with the Trust, have given talks on s...

With one of the strangest and toughest years on memory winding down, it is time to look to the future. 2021. What might next year's season look like? How can we run activities while keeping them COVID secure? How can you keep up to date with all that's happening? Join Trust CEO Frank along with James and Laura, the Trust's operations managers for the north and the south, as they dis...

The UK was in full lockdown the last time we talked about how people still can give their support to changing young lives. Now, we're starting to see some normality return. What was happening two months ago is no longer applicable, but all the same, who knows where we will be in two months' time? We’ve said it before and we'll keep saying it – once all of this is over, young people...

In case you hadn't heard, let us let you in on a little secret: applications are now open for mates and medics.  With this episode, we're taking you behind the scenes. You will know, if you've been on a Trust trip, that mates and medics help everything run smoothly. We want to open that up today. What do mates and medics really do? How do they feel when they're on trips? What m...

Last week was the Trust's 17th birthday! We've invited some guests on to Sound Waves for a celebration, and to have a wee gab about what's been going on since 2003... Joining host Scott this week is founder, patron, record breaker, and dame, Ellen MacArthur. Also, youth board member Sam reflects on nine years of involvement with the Trust, from where he started to where it's le...