THE family of a young man whose death still remains a mystery a year on are raising funds for a memorial bench.

Josh Clayton's body was found in the sea off the Isles of Scilly last September and now his family want a permanent spot where his friends can visit.

They have launched a £1,300 appeal for the bench and plaque to be sited in Vivary Park, Taunton.

His mother, Tracey, said: "We want to keep Josh's memory alive.

"We thought it would be appropriate to have the bench in Vivary Park so his friends can go there."

The fundraising efforts include a raffle, which local businesses have donated prizes for, and a quiz night in the World's End pub on Friday, September 23.

Josh, who was 23, disappeared in the early hours of September 13 last year following a party on the tiny island of Tresco, where he had been working in a restaurant.

His family flew out to join the search, but their hopes were dashed when eight days later a lifeboat crew recovered his body off the nearby island of Tean.

Josh's inquest has still not been held and his family are frustrated that they have been unable to establish how he came to meet his death.

Mrs Clayton said: "We desperately want a reinvestigation because we want to know how he ended up in the sea."

Josh was born and brought up in the Taunton area, where he attended a number of primary schools and Heathfield Community School.

He later obtained his personal licence for the hospitality trade and went on to work for Pizza Express and other restaurants, as well as ski hosting in France and Italy.

He was due to go on holiday to Greece with his family and had a job lined up in Japan.

Josh is buried in the churchyard in Staplegrove, where he lived for a number of years as a child.