Erin is honoured with tribute on firm's truck

Alex Dunn and his father Chris and mum Helen with the number 74 truck that has Erin's name engraved on it

Erin Dunn, who died on April 3 after a battle with a condition called global development delay, was a big fan of the waste collection trucks from Norse South East that collects rubbish along Alemeda Way in Purbrook.

Despite struggling to talk and being unable to walk, Erin would crawl to the door to try to see the trucks passing the house.

After her mum Helen got in touch with the company to tell bosses about Erin’s love of the trucks, the firm decided to sketch Erin’s name on to her favourite truck – number 74 – as a tribute to her.

It was unveiled at the company’s depot in Penner Road, Havant, yesterday in front of Erin’s family.

Helen said: ‘I’m just over the moon about it. It was a great way that I could think of to honour her memory.

‘Now, every time we see the truck, it’ll remind us of her and it will help us feel that she is still with us. It’s a part of us now.’

Erin was diagnosed with the condition at 18 months old, leading Helen to quit her job in order to look after her full-time.

She added: ‘It was difficult for us and we still do not know why she died.

‘We knew that the condition meant she had a cognitive skills of a nine-month-baby at her age but we are still trying to ascertain exactly what happened.’

GDD affects children from birth up until the age of 18.

Their motor skills, speech, cognitive skills and social skills are affected.

To communicate with her daughter, Helen learned a form of signing language for babies.

Her husband and Erin’s father Chris said: ‘It’s amazing. This will allow her memory to live on which was what she wanted.’

Helen is bidding to raise awareness of the condition and is looking to set up a charity called Erin’s Wish in order to help other families whose children have GDD and to help work out why Erin died.