A LITTLE boy battling leukaemia who always waves at passing dustbin lorry crews had his dream come true when he enjoyed a special ride in a collection truck.

Ollie Lister, four, was diagnosed with the illness in March and is having chemotherapy which will last for the next three years.

He even had to cancel his birthday party in June after he fell ill.

But after spending more time at his home in Hardwick, in North Oxfordshire, Ollie has become well-known to the village’s binmen by waving to them every time they pass his house.

Nikki Rogers, a family friend, contacted Cherwell District Council waste and recycling manager Ian Upstone, to ask if they could make his dream come true by giving him a tour of their Thorpe Lane depot.

Ollie’s mother Becky Gage said: “My friend felt sorry for Ollie being in hospital for so long and wanted to arrange some things for him to look forward to when he was well enough.

“She knows he adores the dustbin lorries so she contacted the council to ask if he could visit and Ian was very keen to say ‘yes’.

During the trip on Monday Ollie was shown how the trucks operate, where they are cleaned and how crews train for their jobs.

He was also driven around the waste and recycling depot in the front of the lorry cab and was given a special goodie bag by the team.

Miss Gage said: “The trip was fantastic and we are so grateful to Ian and the council for letting us come down because it means so much to him. He had been looking forward to it for months.

“At the moment we are trying to make days special rather than always be in the hospital and it’s people like Ian who make that possible.”

As no bin collections were scheduled that day, Ollie also saw the trucks being cleaned and serviced by staff.

After his visit Ollie said: “I always watch the binmen and wave at them and they always wave back.

“I had a really good time and I liked the ride in the truck the best because it was exciting.”

Mr Upstone said: “When we heard how brave Ollie has been and how much he loves watching the crews there was no way we could refuse to help.

“It was great to see Ollie enjoying himself and asking so many questions. He didn’t stop smiling throughout.”