A schoolgirl from Seer Green has set her eyes on walking the Cumbrian Coastal Way this summer in bid to raise money for a conservation charity.

Ocean and marine life enthusiast Elizabeth Pennefather – known as Lizzie – is completing her 120 mile walk along the wild Cumbrian coast after finishing her GCSEs in support of Living Seas North West.

While Lizzie lived in Africa and India as a child, she spent summers in the Lake District making sandcastles and exploring the sea and its creatures.

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Lizzie, who recently won the Miss Teen Buckinghamshire title and a place in the final of Miss Teen Great Britain 2022, said: “I have a long summer holiday before I start my A-levels, and I wanted to do something to help Living Seas North West protect our seas and marine life which is threatened by pollution, global warming and overfishing.”

Living Seas North West, a collaboration between Cumbria, Cheshire and Lancashire Wildlife Trusts, run a range of projects across the Irish Sea to protect marine wildlife and habitats, and inspire local communities to care for their coasts and seas.

Lucy Mather, Project Officer for My Local Catch, a sustainable fishing project run by Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “We are delighted to have Lizzie supporting our marine conservation work at Living Seas North West, and are looking forward to meeting up with her along the route to get stuck in with the important and varied projects taking place on the Cumbrian coast.

“It’s a unique and impressive coastline, and we wish her a successful summer of hiking!”

Lizzie set off for the first leg of the journey on Good Friday April 17, covering 11.2 miles from Duddon Hall to Haverigg with her brother Richard and younger twin cousins Toby and Pippa.

They spotted newborn lambs and 48 species of birds like curlew, lapwing, skylark and oystercatcher, she said.

Eventually, she will finish at Esk Bridge near Gretna in Scotland.

The precious Cumbrian Coast and the surrounding Irish Sea are also a home to a host of fish, sponges, urchins, coral, porpoises, grey seals and several species of shark. 

So far, the caring teenager’s fundraising page has raised more than £1,100 of the £2,500 target.