Football fans 'moved to tears' raise £10,000 for Birmingham pub bombings families

Justice has been a long, uphill battle for the Birmingham pub bombings campaigners, but a loyal network of volunteers has stood by them every step of the way. Among them are hero football walkers Ian Williams and Glenn Randall, who are no strangers to long roads.

The pair have raised a whopping £10,000 for the Justice 4 the 21 campaign through their sponsored walks, covering the length and breadth of the country over the years. Between them they have covered thousands of miles, raising vital finds as J421 fight hefty legal battles for 'truth, justice and accountability' on what happened on the evening of November 21, 1974.

Despite not being from Birmingham, the pair have shown unwavering determination to support the city’s fight for justice. To mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, they will be completing another walk through the city, finishing at the site of the bombings to lay a wreath and pay their respects.

READ MORE: City MPs demand Birmingham Pub Bombings inquiry after 'grim milestone'

Ian Williams first met Julie Hambleton in 2017. She was holding a talk at St Anne's Irish club spreading awareness of the Birmingham pub bombings - and the death of her beloved sister Maxine.

Knowing very little about the tragedy, Ian - a Leeds fan from Preston - was moved to tears by what he heard. "Julie told us about what happened to Maxine," he said.

"It was a room of about 50 football blokes, and there wasn't one dry eye in the house. I knew straight away that I wanted to help. I tried to get my team, Leeds United, involved but they weren’t really interested.

"The following Christmas I spoke to Julie and told her about my idea to walk from Preston to Birmingham, raising money for the Justice 4 for 21 group. I raised about £2000."

Glenn Randall, a Tottenham Hotspur fan from London, also felt compelled to help. "When we met, I could see the passion and determination in Julie's eyes, and it brought me to tears," he said. "When I found out that the group is self-funded I knew I had to do something."

Ian and Glenn have completed two walks to help raise funds to fight for a public inquiry. Their first walk, from Birmingham to London, saw them hand in a letter on behalf of the J421 families to Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street.

Their second walk saw them march from Birmingham to Belfast via Liverpool, where they were greeted by a civic reception at Belfast Town Hall, attended by relatives of families who lost loved ones during the Troubles.

"When people think of football fans, they naturally think of hooligans," says Ian Williams, "but most of us are normal down to earth people. This is just something we feel strongly about.

"What Julie and families like hers have gone through just breaks my heart."

On November 21, the pair will complete a 10km walk across the city, beginning at the plaque to the 21 victims at St Andrew's and finishing at the former site of the Mulberry Bush, one of the pubs attacked by the IRA fifty years ago. Ahead of the walk, Glenn vowed to keep fighting for justice on behalf of the J421 group.

He said: "Birmingham is the second city, and its people deserve a public inquiry. We've just got to carry on until we get justice."