Without the bus our world will shrink...
Residents in Greater Manchester’s most isolated village say they are devastated by plans to axe a lifeline bus that will leave some as ‘prisoners in their own homes’
“WITHOUT the bus my house would become a prison - I feel desperate enough about it to say that.”
Pensioner Kath Shuttleworth lives in Mellor - Greater Manchester’s most isolated village that sits on the fringes of the Peak District.
Like many retirees, 85-year-old Kath sees the village’s sole bus, the 375, as a lifeline – taking her to regular appointments at Stepping Hill Hospital and for shopping trips in nearby Marple Bridge.
However it could soon disappear altogether after TfGM’s committee decided funding it is no longer financially viable, with its chairman Councillor Mark Aldred saying a £10m cut for subsidised services meant ‘a line in the sand’ had to be drawn.
That controversial decision has been ‘called in’ for scrutiny by the combined authority - meaning the panel could be asked to think again.
But, for now , the prospect of losing the bus from mid-April continues to hang over the ‘devastated’ village - with its elderly residents particularly fearing the worst.
Kath says the loss of the 375 will mean her world - and that of her 86-year-old husband Peter - will ‘shrink tremendously.’
“We’ll have no access to the station, no access to Marple, no access to anywhere - we can’t go out for a day out to Hayfield, we can’t do anything. And we can’t drive, either of us,” says Kath.
“I have absolutely wonderful neighbours, lots of people are very helpful. But I can’t forever be asking people if they can do this and that for us - to take us here and there. And it limits where you can ask people to take you.
“If you are desperate for bread or milk you can sort it out by doing that - but not just for a day out for a change - and it’s such a beautiful area, too.” Shops, banks, hairdressers and doctor’s surgeries may be just two miles down the road but for the elderly and less mobile it’s not an option.
“It’s that 1.5 mile walk back, it’s bad for your knees, it’s bad for lots of things - with shopping it would not be feasible,” adds Peter.
Another of the village’s more seasoned residents is 83-year-old Nora Warburton. Mellor born-andbred, she uses the 375 to get to her hairdresser in Marple every fortnight and visits a friend there ‘three or four times a week.’
Without the bus, Nora would have to walk to Marple Bridge or use a path through the Roman Lakes described as a ‘rough old track’ - in order to get to Marple itself.
Unconvinced by the suitability of the local link shared minibus that has been mooted to replace the 375, which will have to be booked in advance, she fears having to use expensive taxis in the near future.
She adds: “We should not have to rely on a taxi in this day and age, it would cost a fortune.
“We would just be lost without that bus.”
But it’s not just the older people of the village who would be hit hard.
At the other end of the age-spectrum are the teenagers who rely on the 375 to get them to and from their after-school clubs - and enjoy the extra freedom it brings them.
Its loss would be keenly felt, especially given Andy Burnham’s much vaunted ‘Our Pass’ that should give them free travel once they reach the age of 16.
Liz Hannaford, whose 14-year-old daughter Isobel goes to Marple Hall School, says the independence that comes with using the bus marks an exciting time for youngsters - the beginning of the world ‘opening up for them.’
“Taking away this one bus we have shoots through this age groups’ aspirations and horizons so much,” she says.
Isobel agrees.
“I do quite a lot of out-of-school stuff until 5.30pm a couple of times a week. It’s nice to have the security of a bus to take you all the way home, rather than having to walk home with cars going really fast up the road.
“It’s just the security of being able to get back home safe.”
With Greater Manchester currently looking to clean up its air and cut down on its emissions, the irony of bosses also choosing to axe the 375 - forcing people back to their cars - is not lost on the villagers.
Vanessa Rudd, whose 11-year-old daughter Erin goes to Ludworth Hall Primary School, says parents will be forced to use their cars if the only other option is to leave their children to walk home along dark roads known for speeding.
And Erin says she wouldn’t relish a long trek home after putting her all into a session of physical activity.
“A lot of after-school clubs are quite sporty. We have just done stuff, we are already really tired. Having to walk home in the cold and dark is not very nice - especially
We’ll have no access to the station, no access to Marple, no access to anywhere
Mellor resident Kath Shuttleworth
when there are cars,” she says.
“If you just want to be able to catch a bus there to get home walking takes longer and I don’t want my mum to be worried about where I am, I like to be able to get the bus.”
Those who go on to further education - at Marple Sixth Form or Aquinas College for example - will face more transport problems, as will under-16s who are placed at Hazel Grove High or other schools outside the immediate area.
Axing the 375 will not just hit the elderly and students, however - and not everyone is able to drive if they want to.
It’s a point made by 55-yearold health visitor Joanna Qualter, who highlights how important the bus is for getting to Stepping Hill Hospital or other medical appointments - regardless of one’s age.
“I had surgery a few years ago and a friend of mine had surgery on her knee. Without the bus we would have been stuck because we can’t drive,” she says.
Greg Loynes runs Tarden Farm Riding School in Gibb Lane, and says that many who enjoy its facilities rely on the 375 to get there.
“I have a lady with a sightimpairment who is not able to drive. It’s the only chance she has to do something independent and it would take that away from her,” he says.
Others who currently choose the bus for environmental reasons would have to drive.
“It just seems a mad thing to do,” adds Greg, who says teenage stable hands he employs would also have to rely on lifts from parents to get to Mellor. It’s not only going to affect a rural bus service but it’s going to have an impact on their lives as well,” he says.
Retired Ann Papageorgiou worries that those who rely on Mellor Country House - a charity which provides respite breaks for socially and financially disadvantaged people from nearby urban areas - will also be affected.
More than 600 people stay at the Longhurst Lane property every year.
“A lot of them travel there by bus and they have to do their own catering, so getting the bus into Marple and back again - it’s their safety net where they can go to get away. It’s the one break they get a year where they can go to get away from everything,” says Ann.
And residents have further concerns that losing the bus will hit the local golf course, scout activity centre and pubs The Devonshire Arms and The Oddfellows Arms.
Some may have little sympathy for the villagers - they do, after all live in a beautiful and affluent part of the world.
But Ann says the situation is not as simple as it may appear on the surface.
“It’s property rich but that doesn’t mean it’s wage rich,” she says. “A lot of houses are handed down through families. They are worth a lot but that doesn’t mean the money people have coming in is a lot.”
But all is not yet lost. The decision to call in TfGM’s decision to axe the bus provides a glimmer of hope. Although the committee cannot overturn resolutions made by the panel, it can make strong recommendations.
And the local councillors are united in their determination to fight the decision all the way.
The fact Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham recently gave a speech in Mellor about the importance of bus services being run for the benefit of communities, not shareholders, is not lost on the village’s residents.
“To have this bus taken away from us a couple of weeks later leaves a bitter taste in the mouth,” says Elizabeth. Mr Burnham’s bus franchising reforms - which promise to subsidise non-profitable, rural services with the proceeds of more lucrative ones - are still in the pipeline.
And residents are determined that, when they do come to pass, the 375 will still be a going concern, rather than a fading memory.
Marple North councillor Steve Gribbon said his Liberal Democrat group were implacably opposed to the cut.
“We can’t lose this service - we will do all we can to fight this as much as possible,” he said.
The TfGM decision left open the possibility of using some of the £1.6m allocated to Greater Manchester under the Better Buses Deal to fund the 375 - but that holds little sway with Coun Gribbon. “It’s a very, very frustrating time. As a group, the Lib
Dems have had a look at this and are behind questioning Mayor Burnham why this has actually gone ahead, because the demographics of the area mean these people need this bus service,” he said.
“We are absolutely opposing it, this is just the start of a fight. We as a group are fully prepared to get this decision overturned.”
The 375 bus - currently operated by Stagecoach - is set to cease operating between Marple and Mellor from April 21.
The decision not to continue subsidising the route will be considered at a future meeting of Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s housing, planning and environment overview and scrutiny committee.