Trapped between the demands of school, keeping up with friends and caring for his mentally ill mother, Weston teenager Callum Hesketh-Brown struggled with being a young carer.
From the age of 13 his weekdays were dominated by cooking, cleaning and school pick ups.
With the turbulent relationship between his mother and father acting as a catalyst for his mothers’s drug addiction and mental health issues, Callum found himself in charge of taking care of his four siblings.
His parents got divorced and shortly after it became Callum’s full responsibility. He had to say goodbye to the days of playing with friends and doing what a young person usually does.
Many years later, he’s now caring for his father who suffers from fibromyalgia, a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.
Up until the end of July 2020 when he moved in with his dad in Yatton, he was still caring for his mother and siblings in Weston-super-Mare.
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Young Carers Trust said research shows that one in five secondary school children may be a young carer.
It can be a worrying, isolating and a stressful journey. For young carers, this can negatively impact on their experiences and outcomes in education, having a lasting effect on their life chances.
'Couldn't do things that my friends would do'
Speaking to Bristol Live the 18-year-old said: “Once my parents split up, it just got worse and before I knew it I had this daunting feeling over me of just not knowing what to do.
“I was so young.
“It was so hard to juggle school at the same time and on top of that I couldn't really go anywhere because I had to look after my younger siblings.
“Even though I got support from my school, it took me a while to really try and get to grips with how I was going to navigate this entire new world.”
Callum has spent his teenage years dedicated to caring for others and his ability to live a care free life was cut short.
“Growing up, I had to do everything because my mum just didn't have the mental strength to be able to do it," he added.
“When my dad left when I was 14, the caring just became even more intense because he wasn't around to do it.
“I took charge because my mum wasn't able to do it either and I was under a lot of stress.
“I couldn't do things that my friends would do because I had the responsibility of being at home.
“The relationships I now have with my mother is quite up and down and we don't really get along.
“When she’s having a good day with her mental health then it’s fine, but when she’s having a bad day, it’s really bad.
“On the weekends - when I still lived with her - if she was having a good day, I could go out with my friends, but I always knew that if she took a turn, I would have to go home.”
Callum’s mother is now in rehab and he hasn’t seen her for the last six weeks.
Currently his younger siblings are residing with family and close family friends.
At the end of July 2020, he had to move in with his father in Yatton following an accident he had which damaged his shoulder.
Callum said: “I’ve now been a carer for about five years in total and my duty now is that I've got to remind my dad to take his pills.
“I also have to make dinner for us because his muscles ache and I have to do the food shop because he can't stand on his feet for too long.
“He gets headaches when there's noises around so I need to make sure he has his oxygen mask as well.
“For me, the hardest part is reminding him to take his medication because I have to remind myself . But if I forget to tell him then he could become quite unwell and he’s required to take three types of tablets, three times a day.”
“If I wasn't a young carer, I would do normal things like go into town.
“But the majority of the time, I have to do things around the house for him when he’s not at work.”
Callum’s father used to be a firefighter but due to his disability he’s not able to anymore. He now works for Avon Fire and Rescue in the 999 call handling department.
Callum currently does labour work, but has aspirations to become a police officer and has applied to work with the police.
The way in which he has gone above and beyond as a young carer was recently recognised by The Bristol Young Heroes Awards, where he was nominated for the Caring Hero award.
