Village has become cut off

TODWICK is a small village south of Sheffield, we have around 2,500 people and very little else — an infant junior school, one newsagents, one pizza shop, a tea room and an interior design/carpet shop.

We have NO doctors, no cash point, no food shops so people who live here expect to travel to the nearest villages ie Dinninton, Kiveton or Aston/Swallownest.

Well it is going to get worst as of July 19, 20 and 21. New bus routes in conjunction with RMBC will come into service. This gives people who do not have a car a problem to get to these villages.

What the bus people suggest is catch a bus towards Harthill, get off at Kiveton Lane stop, cross a busy road, Station Road, Kiveton, then wait to catch a bus to the doctors and same in reverse. Similar to Dinnington. The young will do it but the old, infirm will maybe in the summer time but not on other days, winter, weather etc. So people are getting a bit bothered and so I have called a meeting in the village hall at Todwick for July 17 at 7.30pm with the hope that we can then have a meeting with Karl Battersby of RMBC in Rotherham to see if a solution could be found.

As we all get older we think that we will be driving forever but there comes a time when that is not possible then public transport becomes your sole method. It’s all right these planners working out what we can or cannot do but in reality Todwick is an oasis. The new A57 upgrade that was needed has made us more of an island than ever. Buses that could have used Goosecarr Lane to come into the village have now to travel on towards the Red Lion roundabout and up into the village. There is no turning area so what the bus companies have come up with is a bus that comes into the village from Kiveton and then journeys on to Rotherham 29A, or bus 74 which goes to Sheffield. There is No direct link to Dinnington or Kiveton for doctors, dentists, hairdressers, shopping etc.

Alan Turner, Todwick