“THEY did my brother proud.”

Those are the words of a Hampshire man after scores of bikers rode into Southampton in memory of fellow motorcyclist Steve Dawson who was killed in a crash in the city last month.

They travelled from the Bold Forester pub in Marchwood to the Stile Inn, which is just metres from where the accident took place.

The 55-year-old father-of-two, who worked at Fawley refinery, regularly socialised at the pub and was close friends with some of the regulars.

His brother Brett, 42, of Holly Hatch Road, Totton, said: “A lot of Steve’s workmates wanted to come along.

“Many of them live in the Hythe area and we thought the Bold Forester would be a good place to meet up.”

The event was staged with the help of Southampton Motorcycle Action Group and Mark Holman, organiser of the city’s weekly Mayflower Bike Night.

Mr Holman said it was aimed partly at making the roads safer by encouraging motorists to Think Bike.

About 40 motorcyclists took 30 minutes to cover the 11 miles from the Bold Forester to the Stile Inn, where they laid flowers in memory of Steve and also presented the proceeds of a collection to his widow Teresa, 52.

‘Good send-off’ Brett said: “I was very pleased with the turnout – they really did my brother proud.

“Steve loved motorbikes and the ride from Marchwood to Southampton was a really good send-off. It was a perfect day.”

Steve, of Waterhouse Lane, Southampton, was riding his blue Kawasaki bike when he was involved in a collision with a grey Vauxhall Astra.

A social networking site includes a page set up in his memory.

One of the tributes says: “Steve was full of life, a very funny guy indeed and never failed to make people laugh with his wicked sense of humour.

“Unless you had known him it’s impossible to explain just how great he was to have around.”