Binman Stephen was told in October that he has months to live
Neil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)
07:49, 28 Nov 2025
A 23-year-old bin man with terminal cancer was escorted to his wedding by a procession of rubbish trucks. Young dad Stephen Addley fulfilled one of his final wishes by marrying his fiancée Hannah in Dover, with their one-year-old daughter by their side.
And colleagues at Veolia surprised him with a convoy of bin lorries - which brought him to tears. Stephen was given the devastating news in October that he had only months to live, just three weeks after proposing. He said he wanted to use the time he had left to marry Hannah and make precious memories with their little girl.
Their wedding at Bluebirds in Snargate Street was made possible thanks to the generosity of local businesses. Hannah said: “He saw all of his bin trucks just lined up, and he was like, ‘No way’. It meant a lot to him. His best man said that he was sitting in the back of the car crying, and his mate said, ‘Are you okay?’
“And he replied, ‘I'm crying over bin trucks!’ But, he loved it. It showed how much he's valued at work and how much they love and miss him.”
Hannah, 23, said they made “lovely memories” on their wedding day. “There's so much that [daughter] Liberty-Rose can be told as she grows up, that she can be shown, which is really nice,” she said. “It meant a lot to us that it could happen.
“We are really grateful for everyone who has chipped in and done something and has worked tirelessly to make it happen. There are not enough words to thank the people, because it's just so kind, and they did so much.”
Her dress was donated, while Bluebirds owner Kay Blue not only decorated the venue but also helped plan the day. Photographer Matt Hayward was among many who provided their services free of charge.
Stephen was first diagnosed in June with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour - a very rare form of sarcoma cancer affecting only about 70 people a year in the UK. Surgeons removed a lump from his abdomen, but by October the aggressive cancer had returned. It had attached to his bowel and doctors told him chemotherapy would not halt the spread.
One of the hopes for a fundraising campaign was to send the family to Disney, but Stephen’s health has declined rapidly. Hannah explained: “We're not too sure if we will be able to do it, because he is going downhill quite fast. The wedding's really taken it out of him. He's really tired at the moment.
“We just want to reassure everyone that if that doesn't happen, any money that's left is going to Liberty-Rose. It will all go into a bank account for her. It's not going to be spent on takeaways or anything like that. It’s hers.”
The couple previously told of their worries over their baby’s future without her father. Stephen said: “I think the biggest thing is, like, where I'm so young, I've not managed to build up enough to leave her behind.
“I feel like I'm not actually really leaving her anything that can help her and our future. The hardest part is knowing I won’t get to see her grow up.”
Stephen’s cancer stems from an underlying condition called neurofibromatosis type 1, which causes tumours to grow in various parts of the body, some of which can become cancerous.