A mum wants to "walk in her son's footsteps" at Glastonbury following his tragic death.
Nicola Powell is going to the Worthy Farm festival for the first time next week with a special tribute to her son Callum, who died from oesophageal-gastric cancer at the age of 28. Nicola said Callum, from Ellesmere Port, loved going to Glastonbury with his friends, where he would take a Spanish flag emblazoned with the words 'Costa d'El Porto.'
Nicola, 55, and her family will fly the flag at Glastonbury next week in memory of the 28-year-old who "lived life to the full."
READ MORE: Ryanair ban for anyone flying to popular Spain destinations
Nicola, from Hoylake, told the ECHO: "Callum loved life and lived it to the full and prior to the diagnosis he was fit and well. Cal started going to Glastonbury with friends in 2016 when he was 22, taking with him the newly created flag, ‘The Costa Del Porto’.
"He tried every year to get tickets with his mates and most years they were lucky. He would come home full of amazing stories of bands he had seen. I would always watch Glastonbury on the TV trying to spot his flag flying high.
"I felt like I was part of it. He managed to go three times in total."
Callum had secured tickets to Glastonbury 2020 before it was postponed for two years due to coronavirus restrictions, during which time became unwell. Callum first realised something was wrong when he started having difficulty swallowing in March 2021, with doctors initially suspecting he might have glandular fever or a stomach ulcer.
But following further tests in May that year, Callum was diagnosed with terminal oesophageal-gastric cancer and died 12 months later. The 28-year-old's funeral was held ten days before he was due to be going to the rescheduled Glastonbury festival in June last year.
His friends attended the festival with Callum's 'Costa d'El Porto' flag in tow which was seen flying high on the BBC’s coverage of Paul McCartney’s headline gig.
Nicola said: "Seeing his flag flying high brought us comfort but it was also very emotional because Cal should have been there flying it. His friends managed to see all the headliners and the flag was seen lots over that weekend."
Nicola tried to get tickets to this year's festival with her partner Mark but they were unsuccessful. However, unbeknown to them, her daughter Chloe, 27, and friends had managed to get some for them.
Nicola said: "I’m a 55-year-old mum and I’ve never been to Glastonbury. I’d always intended to go with Callum and Chloe if I ever got a ticket.
"The last 12 months have been hard on us as a family. Callum was such a big part of our lives and we miss him so much."
Nicola described Callum's flag as a "true reflection of his character" as someone who was "always bringing everyone together for fun times during the most special moments, giving us memories that will last a lifetime."
She added: "We're going to go this year and take his flag for the last time.
"I'm excited about going because I've always wanted to go for years but it will be bittersweet. I want to walk in his footsteps and see exactly what he experienced."
Callum's loved ones have raised £29,000 for oesophagus cancer research since his tragic death, in the hope of helping others in similar situations. If you see Callum’s flag flying at Glastonbury this year or would like to make a donation in his memory, you can visit the fundraising page here.
Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
READ NEXT:
Ryanair ban for anyone flying to popular Spain destinations
Receive latest from Elle Edwards murder trial straight to your phone with our WhatsApp community
