A Northampton dad received an emotional surprise after a 70-mile walk to West Ham in memory of his late son.

Richard Abrahams, from East Hunsbury, started the walk alongside friend Martin McBrien on Monday (May 5) at 8am and arrived this afternoon (Wednesday, May 7) at West Ham’s London Stadium.

The walk was in memory of his son, Luke Abrahams, aged 20 – a well-known amateur footballer in the town – who sadly died in January 2023, a week after first reporting a sore throat.

Speaking to the Chronicle and Echo, Richard, aged 63, said: “It was tiring but we knew we were doing it for Luke. We knew our end goal. We could’ve broken our legs, sprained our ankles, and we would have crawled to the finish line.

West Ham players Konstantinos Mavropanos (right) and Edson Álvarez (left) surprise the pair (middle) with a signed shirt in honour of Luke.

placeholder image — West Ham players Konstantinos Mavropanos (right) and Edson Álvarez (left) surprise the pair (middle) with a signed shirt in honour of Luke.

The pair walked 32 miles on Monday, 32 miles on Tuesday, and 20 miles on Wednesday.

Richard continued: “It was nice to have company. We chatted about Luke and all the good times, so it took our minds off the challenge.

"We’ve been following rural routes because we can’t walk down the motorway. Some of the routes were bad and I had to be careful of my hips.

“Monday wasn’t too bad because we had the hype of leaving, but the Tuesday was tough. We left at 8.30am and didn’t arrive at the hotel until 10.30pm. It was one of those days where we didn’t know the area either.”

Richard Abrahams (left) and Martin McBrien set off from Sixfields Stadium on Monday (May 5) on their 70-mile tribute walk to London.

On arrival at the London Stadium, the pair received a major surprise from West Ham.

Richard said: “We just thought we’d get to the stadium and have the signed shirt presented to us. We turned up and they said, ‘we’ve got two guys who want to meet you’. It was Konstantinos Mavropanos and Edson Alvarez [West Ham players]. We were shocked. It made the whole 75-mile journey feel like it was five minutes. That was emotional.”

Their feat will also feature in the next West Ham matchday programme, and Richard is set to receive a signed shirt from Northampton Town FC, which will be raffled off alongside the West Ham shirt at the annual Luke Abrahams memorial tournament this summer.

So far, the pair have raised £3,100 – far exceeding their £1,200 target. All funds raised will be split equally between the Sepsis UK charity and the Lee Spark Foundation. Click here to donate.

The final few yards – Richard and Martin approach West Ham’s London Stadium after covering more than 70 miles.

Richard added: “We just want to thank everyone locally and nationally for their support.”

Luke was diagnosed with sepsis and necrotising fasciitis and underwent leg amputation surgery, but died shortly after suffering a cardiac arrest.

An inquest into Luke’s death is scheduled, but the family has been told it will not take place until 2026 at the earliest.

Richard previously said: “There are two reasons why I’m doing the walk. One, to keep Luke’s legacy alive. Two, to highlight that he should still be with us.

“It’s very important to highlight this and keep his name alive. We want justice, we want everyone to know what happened and to make sure it never happens again. He was let down by the NHS.”