A DEVOTED husband has come up with an unusual way to commemorate the memory of his beloved wife.

While others may unveil a bench or plant a tree, Ian Haigh wanted to do something a little different to remember his treasured spouse Sylvia, who passed away earlier this year.

The 67-year-old, from Woodbridge, wrote to haulage giants Eddie Stobart to see if they would consider naming one of their iconic lorries after her.

The company’s HGVs are famed for their female monikers and Mr Haigh hopes “Sylvia Joyce” will soon be the newest addition to its fleet.

His beloved wife, who was also his carer, passed away earlier this year aged 67 after suffering a stroke.

Mr Haigh, who worked for the prison service at HMS Hollesley Bay, said: “It happened very quickly. Sylvia was my life so it was a huge bombshell.

“I miss her terribly and I just wanted to do something to keep her memory alive.

“I was watching a programme on Channel 5 about the Eddie Stobart lorries and it wasn’t until then that I realised they were all named after ladies.

“I just thought ‘what a brilliant idea’. I wrote to them and now I’ve had a reply, which is great. Sylvia would be tickled pink.”

Bosses at Eddie Stobart have written back to Mr Haigh, saying: “Your suggested name has been added to our waiting list and we will contact you as and when your name has been approved and allocated to a truck.

“As I am sure you are aware such requests are extremely popular hence our large waiting list but we hope it won’t be too long before we’re back in touch.”

However it does warn that because of work commitments it may not be possible to see the lorry.

Mr Haigh suffered a stroke himself in 1995 which left him physically impaired.

He and his wife - who also worked for the prison service at HMS Hollesley Bay - were married for 25 years.