A young woman from Kendal is hoping to raise money and break the stigma surrounding mental health by taking on the challenge of a 23-hour live streaming marathon after experiencing her own struggles.

Lucy Lawrence-Bell will be talking, crafting, baking, making music and interviewing others about their mental health journey from 10am on Saturday, April 23 to raise money for the national charity Mind.

The 25-year-old decided to do the 23-hour fundraiser to highlight the 23 per cent of the population who experience mental health problems in any one year.

Lucy said she has struggled with her mental health since her teens and at university and that the pandemic caused further problems while she was working in law in Manchester.

She moved to the Lake District in summer 2021 with her fiancée but has continued to struggle.

Thanks to a combination of support from Mind, Kendal charity Growing Well, and the NHS, Lucy says life is improving and she wants to recognise the support she has received, raise money and help break the social stigma of mental ill health.

“At 16/17, I received a life-altering health diagnosis. On the back of that, I had Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for a hospital phobia and saw a clinical psychologist for a short while,” she said.

“I had some very low points when I was at university. I wanted to quit in my first term and by the end of my second term I had insomnia.

“Fortunately, a long summer break worked wonders, and thanks to some wonderful people including my now fiancée Alice, I managed to get through university with my mental health and self-esteem intact.

“Fast forward to 2020, the pandemic hits and I was stuck in a Manchester city centre flat with very little to do for weeks on end. I wasn't furloughed, but worked in real estate law at the time, the area of legal practice worst affected by lockdown.

“My anxiety went through the roof and I was on antidepressants by September 2020 to help manage it. But first, me and my fiancée spent a long weekend in the Lake District which prompted us to leave the city behind.

“In June 2021 we bought our first house together in Kendal. Mid 2021, all seemed OK and in August 2021 we got engaged. This was supposed to be such a happy time for me and my fiancée, but I was struggling to cope. In October 2021, I was very anxious, became really unwell and ended up very depressed.

“I am much better now than I was six months ago thanks to the amazing support available to people living with mental health conditions in south Cumbria. My recovery has involved a combination of CBT, antidepressants and going to Growing Well, at Low Sizergh.

“Growing Well has given me purpose again. Each week I spend a day with lovely people, learning horticultural skills and benefiting from peer support. We also get a tasty lunch made with organic ingredients grown on site.

“Mind does such great work across the country. Mind’s Infoline and online resources alone can make such a difference to a person struggling with their mental health.”

Lucy, who is also using some of her skills by volunteering as an advisor at South Lakes Citizens Advice, hopes to raise £500 from her live stream.

“It's going to be a long day, but I know I can do it,” she said.

“I'm so proud of the progress I have made with my mental health recovery. Part of that has been talking openly about mental health to break the social stigma around it. By doing this live stream and sharing my story, I hope that I can keep breaking the stigma."

To support Lucy’s fundraiser go to her JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-lawrence-bell-23-hours-4-mind.

Lucy will be live streaming at //Instagram.com/lucylawrencebell