A mum's touching tribute to her son who died in devastating circumstances was visible at Glastonbury Festival's Pyramid Stage this evening.
Nicola Powell previously told the ECHO how she wanted to "walk in her son's footsteps" at this year's festival after he died of oesophageal-gastric cancer at the age of 28. Callum, from Ellesmere Port, loved going to Glastonbury with his friends, where he would take a Spanish flag emblazoned with the words 'Costa Del Porto.'
Nicola said her family would continue the tradition of flying the flag at Glastonbury in memory of Callum who always "lived life to the full". And at the Pyramid Stage this evening, the flag was instantly noticeable near the front.
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The flag was visible on the BBC who is televising performances from the iconic festival, while a number of press photographers also captured the flag. Today's Pyramid Stage has seen the likes of Cat Stevens and Lil Nas X perform, with the final set being performed by Elton John.
Nicola, 55, and from Hoylake, told the ECHO: "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 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 Del Porto' flag in tow which was seen flying high on the BBC’s coverage of Paul McCartney’s headline gig.
Nicola and her partner Mark tried to get tickets this year but were unsuccessful. Unbeknown to them, daughter Chloe, 27, had managed to source them instead.
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."
If you see Callum’s flag flying at Glastonbury this year or would like to make a donation in his memory, you can visit his fundraising page here.
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