Darren and Snowy roll out the red carpet for Rory

Rory's fascination with bin wagons was inspired by Darren and Snowy, members of the recycling crew which visits Rory's home every fortnight.

Darren and Snowy were greeted by Rory on collection days and chatted to him before carrying on the round, a routine which quickly resulted in Rory calling the duo his best friends.

And when the then Deputy Mayor of Rugby spotted a post on Facebook from Rory's mum, Nicola, about his love of bin lorries, he reached out to arrange a special tour of the council's WSU.

Now Mayor of Rugby, Cllr Simon Ward welcomed Rory and his dad Shane to the WSU on Wednesday (28 August), where Darren and Snowy were also on hand to join the tour.

After changing into his specially personalised PPE, Rory visited one of the WSU's garages where a mechanic showed him around a lorry. 

The tour also included a stop at the unit's cleaning station, where Rory watched crews jet wash bin lorries and street sweepers, and a visit to the 'shed', where he saw recycled materials being loaded on to a lorry before it departed for the new, state-of-the-art Sherbourne Recycling centre in Coventry.

And after sitting in the cab of Darren and Snowy's recycling lorry - and beeping the horn to his heart's content - Rory was presented with a goody bag donated by the council's refuse and recycling lorry supplier, Dennis Eagle, which included a die-cast model of a recycling truck.

Speaking after Rory's visit, mum Nicola said he returned home "beaming with happiness".

"He couldn't wait to tell me how much fun he had," Nicola said. "I appreciate everything the Mayor and the team at the WSU did for him.

"It means so much to Rory, but also myself. He cannot do what other children can do physically, so I really wanted him to find something to have a strong interest in. 

"Rory's love of bins and bin lorries has reached the point where we have to drive around the borough looking for bin lorries."

Rory was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after being born nine weeks premature, weighing just 3lb 10oz.

He has since been diagnosed with aortic stenosis, a heart condition, and autism.

Following the tour, Rory and dad Shane travelled to the Town Hall with Cllr Ward to visit the Mayor's Parlour and the Council Chamber.

Cllr Ward said Rory was an "absolute superstar".

"Rory's an amazing young man and clearly a fighter, having overcome so many obstacles and challenges already in his young life," Cllr Ward added.

"It was wonderful to treat Rory to a tour of the WSU to witness the special relationship he has formed with Darren and Snowy, and his obvious passion for our recycling and refuse lorries."