caroline speirs is
relentlessly devoted
Calum Speirs was a remarkable young boy, who at just 11 years old was tragically diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. Throughout the remaining 13 months of his life, Calum spent his days bringing inspiration and joy to everyone around him, despite all he was going through. His mum, Caroline has devoted the rest of her life to carrying on Calum’s dream of helping others in his position.
Calum lived on Mountstuart Road, Rothesay with his mum, Caroline, dad, Duncan, and twin sister, Jenna. He loved nothing more than spending time with his family on his beloved Isle of Bute, whether out in nature or at home playing Monopoly. Calum is someone who falls into an exclusive and extraordinary category of people who have walked this earth: those who will live on forever through their legacy.
Calum’s life changed almost overnight when he was just 11 years old. At the start of the week he was with friends in school, by the end of the week he was in hospital with doctors, being told he had an inoperable brain tumour. The following weeks and months consisted of arduous chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, with Calum spending much of his time in hospital with other children and families going through the same thing.
In the face of all he was going through, he spent his days bringing positivity to everyone around him. Calum’s joyous nature enabled him to see the good in his situation. He felt lucky. Lucky that he had made countless happy memories with his family on the wonderful Isle of Bute. His selflessness also got him thinking about the other kids he was meeting in hospital who hadn’t been so lucky. An idea struck him: what if other families could come to Bute to make special memories too?
“The idea had been that when Calum got better, we would fundraise for ‘Calum’s Caravan’,” a mobile home in Bute that would host families with children facing cancer. Tragically, Calum’s condition deteriorated rapidly. In his final selfless act, Calum gave his family something to hold on to: a dream that they could take forward and devote their lives to fulfilling. The first fundraising event was held at Calum’s service, raising £3,248. The very next day, Caroline, Duncan and Jenna went to view a caravan. Although it was beautiful, the family realised that it didn’t have the accessibility that many families would need. In the adjoining field, however, they saw that lodges were being built at a cost of £90,000. “It might be out of your league,” they were told. Although it was a big number, determined to fulfil Calum’s dream, they knew they could get there.
A sponsored school walk, door-to-door selling, and all forms of fundraising events later, in just 4 months the family had reached their goal. Before they signed the lease, however, another offer came in. It was apparent that Calum was opening doors from above, because The Marquis of Bute agreed to lease a beautiful piece of land at the Straad for a peppercorn rent of £1 per annum. The condition? The cabin had to be a bespoke architectural build. The build came in at around £400,000 which was beyond reach. “We knew the need, and the difference it would make, so there was no way that time or costs or anything was going to stop us.”
At each bump on the road, the Speirs family found a way around it, often thanks to an outpouring of support from the local community. “A neighbour supplied the foundation for free, someone else did the kitchen for free”. Before they knew it, the cabin had turned from dream to reality. Calum’s twin sister Jenna officially launched Calum’s Cabin in February 2009, and the first family moved in two years to the date that Calum passed away. Other than COVID, the cabin has been full every single week since. The luxury retreat nestled in the stunning natural beauty of The Isle of Bute has given countless families irreplaceable memories together, providing light and joy at what is often the toughest times in their lives. “When you walk in you just feel tranquility, as if all of your stresses and worries are taken away from you.”
The demand was so great in fact, that a second location, Calum’s Cottage, was opened in 2012, enabling even more families to find happiness and togetherness on Bute. They now also rent additional holiday accommodation on Bute from The Mountstuart Trust and from Dumfries House, in Ayrshire, part of The Prince’s Foundation to host as many families as they can. “We support between 180 and 200 families a year who have a child suffering from cancer to come for an unforgettable week’s holiday.”
To help fund the support Caroline and her family were providing, they opened a charity shop in 2010, where they also help long term unemployed people back into jobs through work programmes. Their sales, along with continued fundraising, enabled them to expand their support beyond holidays. At the end of 2016, Caroline was hearing more and more from families that the hospitals didn’t have enough accommodation for people coming from the Highlands and islands for intensive treatment. Caroline and her family are firm believers that if there is a need, then there’s a way. Calum’s cabin opened their first Glasgow flat the next year, providing a temporary home for families relocating to the city for their child’s treatment. The demand for accommodation was growing and growing, so they got another flat. And then another. “As long as there’s a need, then we’re not going to stop.” Today, Calum’s Cabin have 12 Glasgow flats that families can call home during their child’s cancer treatment.
Selected for their accessibility, proximity and transport links to the hospital, each flat is beautifully designed for free by renowned interior designer John Amabile. Every room has the quality of a five star hotel with an added homely feeling, helping families settle in. “You want it to be comfortable, where you can come in after good news or bad news, kick your shoes off and feel at home.” These flats make a world of difference to the families that stay in them. Caroline and her family know from experience the value of a secure and comfortable space for a family to be together during such difficult times. “Although it’s a sad time it’s really nice that people can feel at home, they can have extended family to come and visit, they can just be together.” And with no end dates, the families are welcome to stay in their homes for as long as they need to.
Caroline and her family work with all oncology wards in the UK to help match families in need with their holiday homes and flats. The response from the families that stay? The support is just invaluable. “We had a family the Christmas before last who had a wee 2 year old boy who had leukaemia. He had a wee sister who was 6 months old and two older sisters. And the mum tells me to this day, and I find it really sad and hard to believe, but that was their best Christmas. Because they were all together, they were warm, Santa came to visit, they had their Christmas meals delivered.”
It’s these stories that remind Caroline of the difference she and her family are making. “We’ve had a mum who lost her wee girl about 8 or 9 years ago, and they still talk about their last holiday at Calum’s Cabin. We’ve had a family who went on to have a wee boy and call him Calum, we’ve had families who have scattered their children’s ashes at the cabin. It means so much, and that’s the drive that keeps you going.”
And Caroline’s devotion doesn’t end there. If there’s help needed, you can bet she’ll find a way to do it. Whether it’s providing snacks for Glasgow Teenage Cancer Trust, donating 200 toys a month to Glasgow’s Children's Hospital, providing every child’s oncology ward in Scotland with Christmas presents, hosting weekly mindfulness sessions or packing bags at the supermarket to fundraise, Caroline and family do it all, guided by the belief that “if we can all do small things then it turns into great things.” If one thing is sure, Caroline, Duncan, Jenna and, most importantly, Calum have definitely achieved great things.
Ever devoted, Caroline knows that more can be done. She, Duncan and Jenna have aspirations to continue Calum’s dream and support as many families as they can, purchasing even more holiday homes and flats. As Jenna tells her mum, it’s almost as if they’re continuing on their games of Monopoly from all those years ago with Calum, collecting properties and creating invaluable happy memories.
