A youth football team from Aylesford will walk thousands of miles on a virtual stadium tour to raise money for Unicef in memory of a players father who passed away from Covid-19.

K-Sports Colts under 10s club rallied together to support team mate Humphrey Hamilton-Barnes, 10, and his brothers Pip, six, and Archie, 14, from Allington after the devastating loss.

Robin Barnes, 50, had been working for the NHS as a delivery driver for the past year. He caught the virus just before Christmas and sadly died at the end of January.

Despite the heartbreak, Humphrey, along with his team mates, is selflessly thinking of others and embarking on a challenge for Unicef, a charity he previously supported with his father.

Starting from the club in Ditton, they will walk the distance between nine of their favourite teams football stadiums across Europe.

Accompanied by a parent, the players will clock up as many miles as they can by taking walks locally to add to the total.

So far they have covered 1,200 miles and travelled to Charlton, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Motherwell, Paris Saint-Germain, and are now on their way to Bayern Munich.

Originally, the challenge was set up to keep the players active through lockdown but when Robin passed away, they added two extra stops to their list and set up the fundraiser as a tribute to his love for Rugby.

It means when they reach Germany, they will walk back to Aylesford Bulls Rugby Club before ending the journey at Twickenham. An additional 726 miles, and a total of 2,251.

The club manager Anthony White who organised the challenge said: “Robin was genuinely one of the nicest guys I have ever known and was always there to help.

"He will be sadly missed by everyone in the team and we will always be there for Emma, Humph and the boys.

“The team and their families have worked so hard every week during this incredible challenge, we have battled all the elements and are now over half way there.

“I am extremely proud of every single one of them. Thank you to friends, families, teams from K-Sports and the other local football teams that have taken the time to read our story and donate to Unicef.”

The target was set at £500 but they quickly surpassed this reaching £1,420.

Humphrey's mother, Emma Hamilton-Barnes says her boys have remained so strong and it's no surprise to her Humphrey is still thinking of others.

Mrs Barnes, 45, said: “They’re all different ages so it has affected them in different ways but they just keep getting on with life and they have been so strong.

“Humphrey chose Unicef because he has been raising money for them three years now and Robin was so proud of him for that.”

In 2019, Humphrey raised more than £1,300 for Unicef by putting on a charity football match.

He was eight at the time and came up with the idea after a devastating fire ripped through their family home in Larking Drive destroying everything they owned.

After living out of a suitcase in hotels and temporary accommodation, Humphrey said his loss made him realise just how lucky he is and wanted to do something for those less fortunate after watching Soccer Aid.

After his efforts, Humphrey was shortlisted in the top five at the National Institute of Fundraising last May.

The courage shown by the siblings was recognised by Lotties Lollies 'Little Heroes' initiative.

To donate to K-Sports Colts fundraiser, click here.

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