Bus campaigners on track to link Gloucestershire town with Herefordshire neighbours

Fundraisers who are hoping to set up a bus service which will connect Newent with its market town neighbours across the border in Herefordshire are on track to securing £180,000.

Community action group Buses4Us are behind the ambitious bid to set up a new service linking Ross-on-Wye, Newent, and Ledbury.

The new 232 will be named the Daffodil Line, a nod to the wild flowers which grow in the area. If successful, it will replace the services axed by Stagecoach.

The group has received the financial backing of town and parish councils along the route.

They hope to have the bus up and running in time for Easter and it should provide a two-hourly daily service.

Clare Stone, of Buses4Us, helped organise the 632, a trial minibus service which connects Tillers Green, Dymock, Gorsley and Kilcot with Newent.

She said: “Next week it’s the turn of Much Marcle Parish Council to vote on whether to support the new bus service.

“Much Marcle is in a slightly different situation to the rest of us. For all the other communities along the route, the new 232 will replace bus services axed by stagecoach back in February last year.

“Much Marcle hasn’t had a regular bus service for quite some time – which seems crazy considering the size of the village and its location just off an A road.

“When we were doing our trial runs for the new service we found that adding Much Marcle into the route put just four minutes onto the journey time and still allowed us to complete the Ross to Ledbury run in under an hour.

“So it seemed like it would be rude not to include Much Marcle in the route.”

She hopes that having a daily bus service every two hours to Ross, Newent, and Ledbury will be a benefit for people in the village.

“And for the rest of us along the route, having the option of taking the bus to visit Hellens, who have already made an amazing pledge of support, Westons Cider Mill, the country pubs, and walks in the area is going to be a real plus.

“We’ve asked each of the parish councils along the route to consider donating £2 per voter. This is going to be the cost of a return bus fare from a village to the next town. For Much Marcle this would come to £1,140. Fingers crossed they think we’re worth it!”

The parish council is due to debate the proposals at a meeting on January 24.