Barnsley girl, 2, gets to play Bus Driver for a day

Little Cora Joan and her big brother Stanley, aged four, got the chance to play bus driver for the day at Stagecoach Yorkshire’s Barnsley depot.

Cora, who has been receiving treatment at Sheffield Children’s Hospital for the last nine months, loves to spot her local 32 bus in Cudworth.

Cora’s dad, Danny said; “We’ve never seen the 32 bus without her shouting ‘a double decker – that is a big bus is it not.’ Both Cora and Stanley are bus mad”

Danny originally contacted the bus company to enquire about a video message to the youngsters from a bus driver to brighten their day.

Danny said: “Like a lot of families during lockdown, it has sometimes been hard to keep the kid’s spirits up, especially with so many trips to the hospital. We went to Stagecoach hoping they could bring a smile to their faces with a little message.

"Both Cora and Stanley love to spot the buses and love catching the double deckers whenever they can.

“We were really happy to accept when they said we could actually come for a visit.

“They’ve had an absolutely brilliant day today – I think we’ll be hearing about this one for a while.”

Cheryl Green, Operations Manager at Stagecoach Yorkshire’s Barnsley depot said: “If the last 12 months has taught us anything it is that a little kindness and a smile can go a very long way.

“When we heard about Cora and Stanley’s request we decided to do what we could to bring them a little extra fun after a tough few months. We invited them down to our depot at Barnsley and gave them both a chance to be a bus driver for a day.

“They’ve sat in the driver’s seat, honked the horn and even asked dad if he had his bus pass.

“We we’re happy to be able to spread a little joy today and hope that Cora and Stanley have made some nice memories.”