It’s the calm gentleness of her voice and the wisdom beyond her years that tells you Grace Campbell is something special.
Aged just 16, Grace has already had more than her fair share of loss and ill health to overcome, but she carries on her mission of helping others feel better about themselves.
She volunteers weekly in her old Brownie unit in Stonehaven, and fundraises regularly for Cardiomyopathy UK in memory of her late father, Mark.
And all the while, she has to cope with celiac disease, meaning she can’t eat anything with wheat and other grains in it.
Grace joined 3rd Stonehaven Brownies when she was seven, and immediately felt at home.
So much so that by the time it came to moving up to Guides, Grace did one year there and then returned to volunteer with her beloved Brownies.
She’s there every week and accompanies the unit on camps and other outdoor activities.
She says being a Brownie helped her overcome anxiety and grown in confidence, and this is something she wants to give to other little girls.
“It was always fun, and I looked forward to it,” she says.
“I was very shy.
“It helped me grow so much in confidence, in socialising with other people, that I just wanted to do the same for other little girls.”
She pays particular tribute to the inspirational leaders of her unit, Fiona Campbell and her daughters Emma and Sophie.
Grace said: “They were always so lovely and created a safe environment where you could be yourself.”
This was very important to Grace, who’s always struggled with the overwhelming aspects of school.
She said: “I struggled with school as I’ve always been very anxious. Although I enjoy learning and feeding my brain, I never particularly enjoyed it.”
Through Brownies, Grace found a pathway to overcoming that anxiety, and, as it turned out, a comforting shelter when life suddenly became very difficult in December 2022.
Her beloved father Mark, coach, secretary and former captain of Stonehaven Athletic died suddenly aged 46 while out running near Mackie Academy.
He had the heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Grace said: “Losing him made me see how everyone needs someone that they can go to at times like this.
“He was my safe adult, and children need safe adults that they can go to.
“Brownies provided that for me, and whether you use it or not, just knowing it’s there can provide a lot of comfort.”
Grace has now completed her young leader qualification through various online modules, and brings her experience of loss in a quiet way to her interaction with the young Brownies she volunteers with.
She said: “It changed my outlook, I guess, you need to take what comes because you never really know what’s going to happen, so you need to take every opportunity.
“I want Brownies to be able to speak to me and other leaders about their feelings.”
The celiac diagnosis
Not long after the loss of her father, Grace was diagnosed with celiac disease.
The chronic auto-immune condition means your immune system attacks your tissues when you eat gluten, contained in much of our staple diet, things like wheat, barley and rye.
The result is a debilitating range of unpleasant symptoms for sufferers unless gluten is excluded from their diet.
Grace said: “My older sister Amy had already been diagnosed with it, so when I started to get ill I knew celiac was genetic and it could be a possibility.
“I was quite fortunate that it didn’t get too bad before I managed to find out.”
Again, Brownies rose to help Grace adapt.
She said: “My Brownie unit are aways very inclusive and made sure that I’m not held back from any opportunity because of celiac, they always make sure there’s options for me.
The diagnosis has brought change for Grace in her daily life
“You just have to think a little more about your plans and what you’re doing, so you’re not caught off-guard.
“You just need to adapt and change.”
She adds: “There are lots of gluten free options, breads, pastas, you just have to find the once that don’t taste horrible!”
Over the past two years, Grace has organised fund-raising events for Cardiomyopathy UK in memory of her dad.
With the help of the local Lions Club she’s so far organised two fun days at the Scout hut in Stonehaven and is planning another one this year.
She uses also events like Stonehaven’s Feein’ Market to run a stall raising awareness of cardiomyopathy and signpost sufferers to resources out there which can help them.
Where she can, she makes sure the charity has a presence at school fairs, like one at her old primary, Mill O’ Forest last Christmas, where she organised games and merchandise, also ensuring that there were plenty of leaflets about the heart condition for people to take away.
Grace is hoping for a career helping children
With the end of her school days not too far in the distance, it’s hardly surprising that Grace is considering a career in child psychology.
“I find little brains very interesting,” she said.
Grace is the recipient of a Hannah Dyson Award this year, given by Stonehaven and District community council to young people under 18 who have shown outstanding merit in an area of their life.
Her nomination letter reads: “Grace is an inspiration to us all. The girls at Brownies love her, we are so lucky to have Grace volunteering with us and it has been a pleasure to see her develop into a competent, confident young lady.”
Conversation