Sep 12 2008 By Edward Chadwick

THE mother of a young Birmingham footballer killed in a road crash is setting off on a gruelling trek to raise funds for a charity which helps teenagers follow her son’s dreams.

Jonathan Hibbert died in the Caribbean as he was trying to kick-start his soccer career.

After leaving Harborne where he lived with his family he moved to Jamaica and had broken in to the island’s Under-21 side at the age of just 16.

But weeks before he was due to fly to the UK for trials with top clubs he was killed in a head on smash while travelling on a bus.

Now his mother Norma, aged 55, is about to set off on a walk which will take her from London to Brighton to raise money for a sporting trust she set up in her son’s memory.

The Jonathan Hibbert Foundation was set up by Norma in 2003 and gives youngsters in Jamaica the chance to carry on their education by showcasing their sporting prowess to American colleges who offer scholarships.

A football and basketball event is held every year for up to 400 pupils and so far 19 pupils have been offered places to study through the scheme.

Youth training worker Norma hopes her 55-mile walk on September 20 will help to raise cash towards a £10,000 fund needed to buy equipment for the event.

She said: “If it wasn’t for sport, some of these young people wouldn’t have the chance to go on and further their education.

“There is so much talent in Jamaica, but because opportunities can be limited there because of a lack of money, it often doesn’t get spotted.

“All the money raised will go towards buying new equipment so that we don’t have to pay to rent it and feeding all the sportsmen who come for the day.

“Johno was due to come over to have trials with clubs like Reading and Peterborough and I’m certain he would have made it as a footballer because he was so talented.”

Jonathan was a pupil at Broadmeadow Junior School in Kings Norton before moving to Jamaica with his mother and sister Nadine, now aged 32, when he was 11.

In December 2002, he was on board a minibus travelling to meet his mother and sister who had flown to island for Christmas when it was hit head on by a lorry overtaking another vehicle.

He was among three people who died in the crash.

Norma, who lives in South-east London with Jonathan’s son, who was born after his death and is named after his father, will set off from Westminster Palace at 6am and hopes to make the journey in one day.

Anybody who wishes to donate to the Jonathan Hibbert Foundation can contribute via the Jonathan Hibbert Foundation HSBC bank account: Sort Code 40-07-13, Acc Number 81793101.