A quirky vintage bus will take locals around Ecclesfield, Grenoside and Chapeltown in a coordinated Christmas event between the three areas.

The S35 Christmas Express is an initiative started by Ecclesfield Together.

This year’s event will be an expansion from a smaller event on the High Street of Ecclesfield after interests from surrounding villages.

Debbie Roberts, treasurer for Ecclesfield Together, said people are looking forward to seeing the bus “decked out” with festive ornaments.

She said: “The people of Ecclesfield, Chapeltown and Grenoside are very excited about that. We’ve already heard from people that it’s really what they want to see and they’re really excited about jumping on the bus.”

People can hop off the bus at anytime to participate in exciting activities around along the way.

The famous Old Red Lion in Grenoside will be serving hot chocolate and Chapeltown will be putting on a market.

In Ecclesfield, there will also be a marketplace at Gatty Hall, with local vendors, handbell ringers, craft tables for children.

The market will also see a pantomime, Christmas stories, carols and music shows at the Eppic Theatre.

Ruby Bunn from the Eppic Theatre said: “I’m very excited really. It’s a nice community event, bringing all the venues together. It’s very interactive and a great way to kick off our holiday season.”

Thanks to the funding from the Sheffield City Council and that the event is run fully by volunteers, the organisers can keep the cost affordable for everyone in the community.

Mrs Roberts said: “It’s £1.50 hop on and off as long as you like for the day, and it’s actually free for children because we decided that that was really key to us.

“We wanted to make it affordable for everybody. We didn’t want anybody to be excluded because of costs,” she said.

Organisers hope the event will attract around 300 participants of all ages, giving it a community atmosphere and a chance for people to chat with people they otherwise wouldn’t meet.

Mrs Roberts said they want to make sure adults and elderly residents in the community had something to look forward to, not just the kids.

She said: “What makes us special? the fact that we’ve joined three villages I think is quite unique. I’ve never heard of any events in Sheffield where they’re kind of connecting three very distinct places simultaneously.”

The S35 Christmas Express will take place on 14 December, starting at 11am and finishing at 4pm.