YOU may have seen stickers of a mysterious bearded man's face appearing all over Swindon.

An Adver reporter noticed one near Morrisons in Dorcan and soon discovered the emotional reason behind this unusual bit of street art.

After sharing a photo of it on our Facebook page, we received many messages from readers who were surprised and delighted by this unexpected spotlight on a much-missed loved one.

The image is of Shane Whitson, one of two men in their 30s who died in a tragic motorcycle accident near the Grange Drive junction on Ermin Street earlier this year.

One of Shane's best friends, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Adver he made the stickers to help him through his grief, and had not expected them to receive such a big reaction online.

He said: "He is missed by so many of us and this helps."

It prompted an outpouring of touching messages from those who knew Shane.

Sheila Brown added: "Shane would have loved this."

Zoe Daglish said: "Miss that face - we should start the Shane Stroll."

Corinna Cole added: "Wow, he keeps making appearances, I miss him."

Kenneth Cole said: "Love this, miss my little nephew."

Mick Whitson said: "Fantastic, well done."

Michelle Regan said: "This is fab. Shane was such a lovely young man. Gone but never forgotten."

Sean Lea said: "Love and miss you Shane my boy."

Georgia Gorton said: "He would love all this attention."

Graham Guppy said: "Miss the little man so much - Ella, your dad is famous."

Katie Braid said: "Ella, see, no one will forget your dad ever!"

Ella is Shane's 10-year-old daughter.

After the road accident on March 27, his mum Jenny paid tribute: “He was such a wonderful son, very kind and generous.

"Since leaving school, Shane worked in the construction business. He was very practical and good with his hands. He loved being outdoors.

“He used his practical skills to help people out wherever he could.

“He was a wonderful son, brother, brother in law, nephew, uncle and cousin.

“He was a fantastic father to Ella who he would spend weekends with, enjoying outdoor activities.

“Shane was a true Swindonian and lived in the town all his life.

“We all have so many good memories of him - we had wonderful family holidays when he was little, we had some lovely times.

“We will miss our wonderful Shane who left us far too soon."