Lapland trip for Callum thanks to local charity

He has been invited by the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland Trust, an organisation who take children with serious and terminal illnesses to the real-life home of Santa Clause in Lapland, Finland on a one-day trip.

Callum, who suffers from a rare condition known as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and is awaiting a decision on potentially life-changing medicine during the run-up to Christmas, was invited to go on the trip after getting a letter from Santa Clause himself.

Callum’s mum, Laura Smith, said: “Callum was selected, he was put forward by his nurse, to go to Lapland. So me and him are off to Lapland now on December 16. Lapland, the actual Lapland in Finland. It is a day trip organised by the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland Trust. We fly out in the morning.

Santa sent him a letter and everything inviting him. It gives us something to look forward to and it takes your mind off everything else. It is only one day.

It is brilliant. It is a special trip they put on every year and it is for seriously ill and terminally ill children. The whole flight will be made up of sick children and it will be only us there on the day. They get to meet Santa and go on reindeer rides and husky pulled sleighs. It will be fantastic for him.

Isabelle Douglas was the nurse who put him forward for it. It was really nice and it gives us something to look forward to, it takes your mind off everything.”

The Limavady mum added: “Callum is still oblivious to what is going on anyway and that is the way we want to keep it.

“The burden is on us, not on him and that is the way we want to keep it.”