A MEMORIAL bench has been dedicated to murdered student Sophie Lancaster at a huge goth festival.

The £3,000 bench was put in place on Whitby’s West Cliff and a dedication ceremony was held over the weekend as part of the annual Whitby Goth Weekend.

It follows the generosity of both Whitby residents and goth visitors who raised almost £3,000 for the memorial bench.

Sophie, a former pupil at Haslingden High School, was murdered as she walked through a park near her home in Bacup last year with her boyfriend Robert Maltby.

The couple had visited Whitby on numerous occasions for the twice-annual goth weekends, that attract hundreds of people from across the globe.

Sophie’s mother, Sylvia, visited the town to personally thank everybody who helped get the memorial bench in place.

She said: “It is lovely to know that Sophie’s memory lives on in Whitby because she really used to enjoy spending time there.”

The plaque on the bench reads: “In memory of Sophie Lancaster 26th November 1986 – 24th August 2007 – an angel too soon.”

Martin Coles, who helped to organise the fundraising, said: “I’m really pleased the bench is now finally in place, and am looking forward to sitting there, staring out to sea and just sparing a few moments thinking of someone that I never met, but who had such an impact on me.”