Grieving father joins Rob Walker's charity challenge

The father of a nine-year-old boy who died unexpectedly has joined a sports commentator on the final stint of his trip from John O'Groats to Land's End.

Olympic broadcaster and snooker announcer Rob Walker, 48, from Gloucestershire, is covering more than 1,000 miles in a charity challenge.

On Monday, he was joined by Paul Hawkins, who lost his son George at Christmas.

Mr Hawkins said Mr Walker was "an inspiration".

"It's a privilege to come along and be able to help him," he added as he joined him for Monday's leg - running from Gloucester to Clevedon, in North Somerset.

"It has been a difficult time this year and Rob has been a huge help.

"I think it's been a sort of bonding experience, as awful as it has been, (and) Rob's been a true friend throughout."

He revealed that Mr Walker read George's eulogy at his funeral and it was "the least" he could do to help him.

Mr Walker - who was also supported by BBC Sport presenter Jill Douglas in Gloucester - has dubbed his challenge The Absent Friends Tour and is raising funds for two charities.

During the challenge, he has handed out four bottles of champagne every day - one for each friend - so people along the way can toast their lost friends with his.

The commentator, who will finish his challenge on Friday, lost Robin Thomas to a heart attack at the age of 48 in October 2021, followed by university friend Martyn Settle two months later aged just 45.

Another of Mr Walker's friend's, Stephen Isles, who had lived with a brain tumour for 10 years, died at the age of 53 in May 2022.

The three deaths happened with eight months of each other and inspired Mr Walker to raise money for charity.

While he was preparing for his challenge George died.

Mr Walker has set up a fundraising page for The Brain Tumour Charity and Jessie May Children's Hospice at Home.

He has already hit his £25,000 fundraising target but is still urging people to donate.

Sport promoter Barry Hearn has agreed to double every donation that specifically goes to the hospice, he added.

As he nears the finish line, Mr Walker said it "starts to kind of hit home" what the challenge is all about.

"When your mates are going through difficult times we have to be there," he said.

"You've got be there to try and help them when they're falling a bit."

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