Redundancy,maternity leave and notice periods

Hi, just looking for a bit of advice from anyone who knows anything! my common sense tells me they can't do what they are doing but I don't really understand the law, so here goes:

Just before I went on maternity leave my company closed down our region of two homes (I managed 1 of them) I didnt take redundancy because I feared they just wouldnt pay my maternity leave. I have now accepted redundnacy but they are demanding that in order to get a paid notice period (2 months) I must fill in for a manager in a home 2 hours drive away for those 2 months.

My baby is breastfed so she would have to be looked after near me, no family available to do this and not sure how that could even work if they could (just sit in costa for 8 hours with an 8month old will you?) I just cannot see how I could possibly find temporary quality childcare in a place I don't know or organise the funding for this within any sort of reasonable timescale.

Please tell me they can't do this and they just have to pay my notice period?

Thanks in advance for any help

I am a little confused - have you returned from maternity leave now? And also, does your contract have a mobility clause in it? Can you also please explain the circumstances of your refusing redundancy - if this was a genuine redundancy (which it appears it was) then what did you expect to happen if there was no job for you to return to after maternity leave?