When little ‘Biffa Bill’s’ birthday dreams came true

Biffa helps birthday boy's dreams come true by surprising him with a visit from his local crew and a goody bag of Biffa treats.

Tuesday, February 22

This is the heart-melting moment Biffa-fan William Brinkley’s birthday dreams came true.

The little Sittingbourne boy fell in love with all things Biffa during lockdown when he started waving at his local bin crew every Thursday morning.

So when his fourth birthday came around last week, his family decided to try and arrange something extra special.

They posted on Facebook asking how to get a refuse truck to visit him on his big day. A friend whose uncle works for Biffa saw the post, and it snowballed from there.

On the day, Biffa’s shiny new electric refuse truck parked up outside his house, with refuse collector Lee Beresford and operations manager Jenna Hammon on board.

William’s mum Caitlin Crayford said: “They knocked the door and asked for the birthday boy. He just kept saying ‘For me? For me?’ He couldn’t believe it was for him.

“They gave him lots of little Biffa presents which are now all next to his bed, and a little high-vis Biffa top with his name on which he now wears everywhere. They showed him around the truck and how it works, and he got to speak to the bin man which he absolutely loved.

“His favourite part was sitting in front of the truck. He touched all the buttons and beeped the horn.

“They made him feel very very special. He went to bed with a big smile on his face – and he couldn’t stop talking about it the next day either.

“I cried. I was very emotional. Even talking about it now and looking back through pictures it’s just something I never thought we’d be able to get for him.

“Biffa have been absolute legends. To make this happen for William on his fourth birthday is just a dream. Their gifts, their kindness and their love have made some beautiful memories for all of us.”

William also lives with dad Bill and sisters Tillianna Rose, 7, and Priscilla May, 6.

The whole family is already big on recycling and litter picking, and William has already said he wants to be a refuse collector when he’s older.

Caitlin added: “We call him little Biffa Bill now. He even makes his dad take him to the tip so he can sit in the car and watch what goes on.”

Jenna Hammon, Biffa’s operations manager in Swale, said: “We’re a big part of the community here, so when you get the call to send a refuse truck to make a little boy’s birthday, you do!

“I’m so glad we were able to make it a really special day for a special little boy.”