IT WAS a place that the young father loved to visit.

And now families and friends will have a permanent memorial in a Southampton park to remember Steven Johnson.

Twenty-year-old Steven died after being hit by a car as he walked towards his home in Romsey.

Now Southampton’s Olympic diver Pete Waterfield will unveil a memorial bench in Mansel Park ahead of the Stevey J Memorial Day on Saturday.

The bench is made of wrought iron with wooden slats and bears a personal message on a plaque.

His family are installing the bench, which will look out over playing fields where Steven used to play football with friends. The unveiling takes place at 1.30pm.

Afterwards, Steven’s friends will take on regulars from The Saints pub in Millbrook in a football match, leading on to the memorial day at the pub, which is a repeat of a fundraiser held last summer.

Money will go towards a trust fund for Steven’s two-year-old son Lewi Pike, of Millbrook.

Around 300 people attended last year’s event, raising £3,000.

Steven, a former Redbridge Community School pupil, was born in Millbrook, Southampton, but had moved to Romsey. He had been looking forward to becoming a father for the second time.

Steven was walking home on the A3057 near Romsey after a night out when he was hit by the car in April last year. An inquest returned a verdict of accidental death.

Steven’s mother Ange Dandridge, 44, of Orion Close, Lordshill, said: “Sam [Steven’s brother] and I felt that he should have something here because he was born and brought up in Millbrook. That’s where he would have always played football so it’s the most fitting place.”