Cecily Bell
A tenacious Chemistry student who spent a year working with Lubrizol in Derbyshire has just completed the gruelling, South West Coast Path hike in just under two months to raise money for a mental health charity.
Cecily Bell, 22, returned this month after completing the 630 miles and climbing a total elevation gain equivalent to four times the height of Mt Everest.
She was supported by Lubrizol, based in Hazelwood, who made a donation to the charity Cecily was raising funds for – Black Minds Matter. She has now raised nearly £4,000 through her blog page.
“Lubrizol was very generous in their donation to the charity,” said Cecily, who spent a year working in the company’s chemical department while also studying remotely for her Masters in Chemistry from Durham University.
She chose Black Minds Matter because she said mental health was of particular importance to her.
“I think we all struggled during lockdown with our mental health due to the isolation and many of us walked more throughout that time, either to meet friends or to get fresh air. I really wanted to help this charity because supporting mental health is important to me. They provide free professional therapy and resources to black individuals across the UK. When I met someone who had worked with the charity, and they explained how important their work is, I knew I had to support them.”
She spent nearly 60 days hiking the route which is perhaps the UK’s ultimate challenge for the long-distance hiker, going around the coastline of England’s south west peninsula.
Starting at Minehead in Somerset it runs along the coastline of Exmoor, continuing along the coast of North Devon into Cornwall. It follows the entire coastline of Cornwall, goes across the mouth of the River Tamar and continues into Devon. After running along the south coast of Devon it then follows the Dorset coastline before finally ending at Poole Harbour.
Cecily, from Chiswick in London, walked and camped along the route alone most of the way but was joined from time to time by friends and family.
“I’ve always wanted to hike one of the big trails in the USA, like the Continental Divide, but I thought I should try one closer to home first. Doing this hike made me realise thru-hiking is something I really enjoy, but what really kept me going was the support and companionship from people I met along the way, and when friends and family joined me for sections. It made me realise if I did another long hike in the future, I might have to find a walking buddy!”
Cecily, who is now planning to work and travel for a year after gaining a first in her masters degree, threw herself into charitable work and volunteering during her placement at the Lubrizol. She took part in the renovation of Aqueduct Cottage, a grade-two listed building by the Cromford Canal while with the company. Lubrizol and a group of up to 50 volunteers were involved in the restoration of the old cottage which was in an extremely bad state of disrepair and had no roof.
Cecily also visited a local school to speak about studying and working in science while she was working.
She said it was important to her, and others her age, to find companies with strong ethics.
“I think my generation is a lot more focused on the impacts of the company they work for and making sure they are responsible organisations,” said Cecily. “That’s something people in my generation are looking for – those companies which are doing great things. By doing voluntary work like I have you also get the chance to meet individuals from other departments in your organisation and other people and work together with them which is a great opportunity.
Claire Hollingshurst, Quality System Manager at Lubrizol, said the company was hugely proud of Cecily’s achievements.
“Cecily was a fantastic placement student whose strong ethics showed through the commitment and energy she dedicated to both her work and charitable efforts while she was with us.”
