Tucked away in a corner of Southampton there is a small walkway that recalls the name of a man who not only did so much for local people but whose beliefs also took him to one of the poorest countries in the world far from his home in Bitterne.

As shoppers struggle with carrier bags from the nearby Sainsbury's supermarket, which this year celebrates its 40th year in Bitterne, and mothers keep a close eye on their

children as they make their way to and from school, not many people probably take much notice of the small street sign, Oakley John Walk.

However this modest memorial keeps alive the name of a modest man who quietly served not only the community in and around Bitterne as a GP, but, as a committed Christian, his church and those struggling against poverty and deprivation in Africa.

The late Dr Alan Oakley John, who died in 2000, was based at his surgery in Chessel Avenue and for many years it was from there that he undertook a great deal of youth-work as well taking a leading role in the local St John Ambulance Association and Brigade.

It was way back in the late 1940s that Dr Oakley John

began holding bible classes for boys at his surgery.

However, numbers soon grew so big that the classes has to be switched to the vicarage.

He worked tirelessly for St John Ambulance and his long service with the organisation was recognised by the presentation of several awards.

Dr Oakley John also took a lead role with the Bitterne Covenanters, a church group which met in a hall near the junction of Whites Road and Bursledon Road.

During the 1960s and 1970s the Covenanters had many groups across the country and up to 600 youngsters would attend rallies in the south.

After his retirement in 1977 from general practice, Dr Oakley John lived in southern Sudan where he trained the country's community health workers before returning again to Bitterne.