A schoolgirl rocked up to prom in a Poundland truck to honour late lorry driver grandad.
Denise Gilligan, 41, a supervisor for the budget High Street chain organised the ride for her daughter Ellie, 16.
The large delivery truck featured the Poundland iconic font and logo across the top.
The 16-year-old was picked up in the HGV by the driver at the local truck park just a few minutes’ walk away from her home in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.
This is because the hefty vehicle couldn’t fit down her narrow street.
The journey was 30 minutes long.
The prom took place at Blackwell Grange hotel in Darlington, Co Durham, last Friday (7 Jul)
Ellie says that she wanted to stand out at her Year 11 prom.
The teen also wanted to honour her late grandad Brian.
He retired trucker suddenly passed away six years ago leaving the family heartbroken.
Ellie said: “Growing up, I have always tried to be like everyone else and fit into the crowd.
”But for my prom I wanted to stand out and be different.
“As my prom approached all I could think about was my grandad, who was a truck driver.
”He would have loved to see me all dressed up and my whole prom journey, but sadly he passed away suddenly in 2017.
“So, I thought what better way to honour him than to go to my prom in a truck and make him proud.”
Denise, who is a supervisor at the Catterick Garrison branch organised the unique transportation.
She said: “My store manager Georgie Pugh is always up for a challenge so I gave her the mission of trying to get the Poundland truck – not expecting she would pull it off.
”Georgie didn’t mess about and went straight to the top and emailed Austin Cooke our chief operating officer, and it went from there.
”The next thing we know there is a huge Poundland truck on its way to take Ellie to the prom.
”It was amazing and I can’t thank everyone involved enough.”
Ellie has a blast at her prom and says her classmates were impressed with her unusual entrance.
She said: “One of my friends said ‘We were all pretty jealous’
“Another said: “I thought it was well cool, I spent the whole time it took for the truck to drive up the driveway trying to work out who managed to get an actual truck’.
”I got the best reaction when I arrived, the schools’ photographer immediately started taking photos.”
Tim Goalen, Poundland distribution director said: “At Poundland we try to bend over backwards for our colleagues.
”So, when Denise at our Catterick store asked her manager Georgie for a Poundland truck so her daughter Ellie could make a splash at her prom, we had to help.
”I’m grateful to our colleagues at our Wigan depot – especially our driver Cliff and store support manager Siobhan – for making sure Ellie’s arrival was a head-turner.”
