Most people, at some point in their life think about
completing a challenge, to make an extra-ordinary achievement and realise a
feeling of accomplishment. Natasha Lambert is not like most people. As soon as
she completes one challenge she has already thought of the next, which of
course needs to be bigger than the last.
Her single mindedness and determination enables her to
achieve much more than the medics believed. This year, along with the ‘Miss
Isle’ support team and volunteers Natasha raised funds for The Ellen MacArthur
Cancer Trust, RNLI and RYA Sailability by completing a unique ‘sea and summit’
challenge. Sailing single-handed from IOW to Swansea followed by climbing Mount
Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in Southern Britain. Not once did she use her Cerebral Palsy (CP) condition as an excuse to
rest until she reached the mountain summit and when there she said ‘this isn’t
bad, is it?. What people may not realise is that due to her CP condition,
Natasha doesn’t have control of her limbs, her chair is secured onto the boat
and she uses an innovative ‘sip/puff’ technique (developed by her father) to
control and manoeuvre her boat a mini Transat called Miss Isle She is literally
sailing open water from her mouth!
Natasha’s involvement with sailing came
by chance, and it has given her and her non sailing family some cherished
moments whilst creating opportunities for Natasha to learn unexpected life
skills such as public speaking, fundraising and presenting at board meetings.
The confidence Natasha has gained from sailing has opened up new opportunities
and given her a new outlook to life, an outlook she wants to share with other
people with CP. Inspiring and educating others is now a key focus for Natasha,
to show people that anyone can find a sport they enjoy and have fun
participating.
The Miss Isle team is now actively seeking families with
children who have CP to offer the use of the ‘sip/puff’ boat and widen
awareness of the sport as an inclusive activity for the whole family. They also
want to reach out to special schools to show how equipment can be adapted
according to the need of the participant.
Since trialing the ‘sip and puff’ sailing technique four
years ago, determination and enjoyment of a sport she has found as a teenager
has led to Natasha sailing single handed, combined with additional challenges such as mountain
walking (with the aid of her frame) has
developed her confidence to want to, one day sail across the Atlantic
Ocean, which shows that if #ThisGirlCan
you can too!
