Two young people from North East Wales who are in recovery from cance are enjoying the sailing experience of a lifetime.

Mark Adams, 23, from Wrexham, and Meredith Isherwood, 24, who lives near Mold, have been sailing around the Welsh coast alongside others in cancer recovery as part of the 250-nautical mile voyage from Cardiff to Holyhead.

The challenging odyssey, launched by the history-making yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur in 2003, is a landmark event of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.

The event, which helps to rebuild confidence after cancer, uses sailing to support, empower and inspire young people aged eight to 24 to embrace their futures with optimism.

Between May and September more than 100 young people across the nation, who have all sailed with the Trust following cancer treatment, are taking part in Round Britain 2017 on the 44ft voyage yacht Moonspray.

Up to five different young people are joining the crew for each leg, while three of the full-time crew have also been through treatment and benefited from Trust support. 

Mark and Meredith set sail from Cardiff last Tuesday, headed west around Pembrokeshire to a stopover in Milford Haven, before crossing Cardigan Bay to Pwllheli.

Moonspray and its Welsh crew members went around the Llŷn Peninsula before landing at Holyhead, Anglesey, later on today.

This is Meredith’s second Trust trip after treatment for thyroid cancer at Glan Clwyd Hospital at Bodelwyddan.

She says her 2016 Trust trip contributed to giving her the confidence to take part in the Miss Wales final in April 2017, where she came away with the Miss Flintshire title.

Meredith said: “Trust trips take you out of your comfort zone. You're put on a trip with a group of people you may not know, living and sleeping in close quarters, putting your trust in them and working together as a team.

"You do all of this while taking part in a new experience, facing potentially uncomfortable conditions and reaching for an end goal.

”This is what makes a Trust trip so unique and memorable."

Mark, like Meredith, sailed with the Trust last year after undergoing treatment for X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) which requred a bone marrow transplant.

Before the trip he said: “I'm really looking forward to seeing Wales from a different perspective, enjoying new scenery and challenges, meeting new people and having fun with my crew mates.

“Last year's trip was really sociable, I got to try new things and learned new skills, which gave me confidence, new friends and I learned to sail."