Police officers “saved the day” for a six-year-old boy after they arrived at his birthday party in a police van after a ‘children’s party bus’ failed to turn up to the pre-planned event.
Anna Banyard ordered a kids party bus for her son Alexander and 21 of his friends at her home in Warfield, Berkshire on Sunday.
When the ‘party bus’, without explanation or warning failed, to arrive her friend turned to twitter for some help.
Some kind-hearted police officers from @TVP_Bracknell saw the tweet and turned up a short while later with the police van, which they allowed the children to play inside.
Mrs Banyard, 36, described the officers as “superheroes without capes”.
She said she was “on the verge of crying” as her plan for the party fell apart, because Alexander, who is autistic, “loves buses”.
“It wasn’t a party, it was a shambles, and we had 22 very disappointed children”, she told the BBC.
But then her friend Stephanie Cook tweeted a plea for help, which officers from Thames Valley Police in Bracknell responded to by turning up outside of her house.
A HUGE thank you to TVP Bracknell @TVP_Bracknell for saving the day, when a child’s birthday party soft play bus didn’t turn up! They brought their amazing riot van to us, and the kids had a blast!!
Thank you Cass and Steven 💙🎉👮🏻♀️👮🏻♂️🚨🚔#notallheroeswearcapes #tvp #bracknell pic.twitter.com/15pdFwtS2T— Stephanie Cooke (@Stephcooke86) October 28, 2018
Mrs Banyard told the BBC:
“We rushed outside with Alexander and there was a riot van, a sergeant and a PC. It was mad.
“They immediately invited Alexander to sit in the driver’s seat and press all the buttons,” she said.
“They taught him how to put the lights on, and the sirens, you can see from that picture he thinks it’s hilarious.
“They opened up the side doors and the back doors and just let the kids pile in.”
She said her son thought the day was “incredible” and that the police van “saved the day” for him.
Sgt Cassandra Oswald, of Bracknell Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “It is really important that children know we are there to help them and be comfortable in approaching us.
“We were happy to make Alexander’s day and show the children the van.”
@TVP_Bracknell nice work 🙂 Community engagement at its best 🙂 @ThamesVP @TVPFED @TV_PCC @TVP_Chief – these children will grow up knowing that the police ARE approachable and are here to help @widgetini @PFEW_Chair @PFEW_HQ https://t.co/2kLYHBXZho
— Emergency_Services_Humour (@ES_Humour) November 1, 2018
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