Sailing helps visually impaired Northamptonshire boy find friendship and belonging

A visually impaired boy from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, credited specialist sailing sessions with helping him build friendships and feel he belonged. In a BBC report published on 10 November 2026, 12-year-old Tadiwa said he had sailed annually since age eight through the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, with support from BBC Children in Need.

Diagnosed with an inoperable optic pathway glioma at one, he had undergone chemotherapy and proton beam therapy. He said his tumour was under control, although his sight would remain affected. To support Children in Need, he joined a Countryfile charity ramble in the Peak District, where he met Ellen MacArthur and raced her across a reservoir in canoes.

Tadiwa’s account highlights the social role of charity-supported activities alongside the medical experiences of a child with cancer. He described hospital as a second home and said treatment meant missing birthdays. His experience illustrates one participant’s response to sailing, rather than establishing wider health outcomes from the programme.