A TEENAGER has fulfilled her wish to arrive at her prom in a huge lorry cab as a tribute to her trucker grandad.

Elissa Radford, 15, made the journey in the Gilbraith truck in memory of her grandad, Derek Davies, a former lorry driver who died after an accident in 1996.

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The Haslingden High School pupil was picked up at The Holden Arms in Grane Road and was taken to the Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Clayton-le-Moors.

Mr Davies, known as ‘Dai’, spent more than 20 years working at the Blackburn-based distribution company.

The teenager’s dad, Alec Radford, 49, said his daughter came up with the idea of riding in one of her grandad’s lorries to her prom.

He said: “She sadly never met him but she knew a lot about him due to the fact he was so widely spoken of within the family.

“We were talking about what to do for Elissa’s prom and she said it would be a great idea to mix the combinations together for the day.

“We got in touch with Gilbraith and, as he was highly thought of there, they were more than happy to help.

“She was picked up on the day outside the Holden Arms because the lorry was too big to stop outside our house, and off she went.

“Gilbraith did an amazing job and managed to get Elissa’s name on a licence plate on the front of the cab, which was a nice touch.”

The Iron Street business helped to transport Mr Davies’ ashes to Wales where they were scattered by his family.

Gary Barker, driver development manager at Gilbraith, who picked up the youngster, said: “She was absolutely chuffed when she got into the cab.

“She had never been in one and was amazed at the whole experience. I loved taking her there.

“Everyone else had the fancy supercars and they all had to move out of the way when Elissa arrived.

“We turned a few heads and got some funny looks off security, but it was definitely worth it.”