A FATHER, left heartbroken when his teenage son was killed in a town centre street, is close to realising his dream of a permanent peace tribute at the spot where he died.

Mr Peter Odlum hopes the plaque, dedicated to 19-year-old Gary, attacked in March 2000, will help combat night time violence on Bolton streets after pub closing time.

He said his main purpose was to encourage youngsters to think before they threw a punch because the consequences could be catastrophic for those who did.

He said: "We hope the plaque will make people think about their actions and stop them from doing anything they might later regret.

"You never think something like that will happen to you. My family and I are still struggling to come to terms with the events of that night. It completely changed our outlook on life."

"It has been a while and some days it does seem like ages ago but other times it seems like only yesterday.

"We are moving on but you never really recover. You just learn to live with it and be strong for other people."

Gary, who had celebrated his birthday only days earlier, was hit on the back of his head while standing outside Bank Street Taxis after a romantic night out with his girlfriend.

He fell to the ground and banged his head on the pavement. He was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital but died in the intensive care unit without regaining consciousness.

Mr Odlum added that the family and Gary's friends had since raised £10,000 for the Bolton Coronary Care Appeal.

He added that he was about to enter into talks with the owners of the Bank Street building about the plaque.

He said: "Gary's friends have been really good and on his birthday we went out with them for a few drinks.

"They have learned to take a step back from trouble. We hope that our son's death will not have been in vain and that others will take the same measures to avoid conflict."