Memorial to Ipswich cyclist Ben Wright two years after death

Ben Wright, 35, died after being hit by a car being driven by James Ashman in Vernon Street on October 13 2022

Ben Wright with the mother of his children, Amy Chambers (Image: Amy Chambers) Ashman, 29, had been delivering cannabis to customers on the night of the crash and failed to stop after the accident and was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison for dangerous driving. 

Ben Wright was killed in October 2022. (Image: Suffolk Police)

The motorist was going nearly double the speed limit when the crash happened.

Amy Chambers, the mother of Mr Wright’s two 15-year-old children, spoke at his memorial two years after his death.

She said: “Last year I came here at the time of his death to commemorate him and just to feel close to him. I promised him I’d do it every year.

Amy Chambers on Vernon Street beside Ben Wright's memorial (Image: Newsquest) “He had a hard life. People would put him down, but he did everything for those he loved. He tried so hard.

“He was so funny, he had the best sense of humour and he would have gone to hell and back for those that he loved.”

After Ashman's sentencing, Mr Wright's sister Natasha and dad Mark paid tribute to a "cheeky charmer" who fought to turn his life around.

The family praised the efforts of Suffolk police, who had described Ashman's actions as "dangerous and reckless".

Miss Chambers added: “The day I met him we moved in together; we were on and off for 18 years.

“Our wish was to go abroad and have boat trips, but he never got to leave the country.

“He just wanted his kids to have a better life than he did. Life was always hard. He did not have an easy life.

"I tried to give him that. I tried to give him what he should have had. When it was us together, we were happy. I feel lost without him.”