Daniel Budden – Melanoma UK Ambassador for Outdoor Sports

Not only is Daniel Budden a British Sailing Team sailor campaigning toward the Paris 2024 Olympics, he has now joined the Melanoma UK family as our new Ambassador for Outdoor Sports.  

Daniel is 23 years old and started sailing in 2011, he completely fell in love with the sport and has been competitively racing ever since. He started his sailing career in a Topper which is a single-handed dingy and worked his way through the national squads before moving into the 29er which is a two-person skiff (a smaller version of the boat he currently sails).

Daniel regularly competed both Nationally and Internationally in the 29er achieving some great results which helped him get selected to be part of the British Sailing Team in 2016.

In 2017, he made the jump into the 49er which is the Olympic two-person skiff. The 49er is an epic boat, and along with his helm, Nick Robins, they are working hard to be selected for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

Academically, Daniel graduated from the University of Exeter in 2019 with a first-class Bachelor of Science degree with honours in Economics and Finance. Going to university was an amazing life experience for him and one he would recommend to anyone who gets the opportunity.

Alongside sailing, Daniel has played Hockey for North of England, Cheshire County, and the University of Exeter. He also enjoys running, cycling, climbing and pretty much anything that is outside and gets the heart rate going!

Daniel said "Being outside a lot means that staying protected from the sun is a super important part of my life and that is one of the reasons I’d like to work with Melanoma UK. The second reason, and most important one, is that in 2018, my amazing granny passed away from Melanoma, she was a lady who worshipped the sun and sadly didn’t have the knowledge we now have about the consequences of sun exposure or the research to mitigate the risks. If I can make more people aware of how important protection from the sun is, then I’ll be making her proud."

Melanoma UK wants to help tackle the issue of protecting and having Daniel on board (excuse the pun), we will definitely be able to start making a difference.

Welcome to the team Daniel we cannot wait to get out there with you and heighten awareness of staying safe whilst out enjoying any type of sporting activity #olympics2024