Villagers fighting to save their phone box have queued to make calls from the "under-used" kiosk to help boost its chances of survival.BT is considering disconnecting the phone in Sharrington, near Holt, Norfolk, as it was used fewer than 10 times in the past year.
Villager Derek Harris, 89, mounted a David and Goliath campaign against the telecommunications giant, arguing the phone box was a "lifeline". As the phone clocked up more than 40 calls on Friday, he said: "I feel reassured it's not David alone. There are many people supporting us locally, nationally and internationally."
Mr Harris said it was a "heartwarming" sight. "They're turning out to save the life of their K6 kiosk. It is an icon and, more importantly, it is a lifesaver," he said.
He said the phone had been used for a 999 call by people who lived nearby, and only last week by an ambulance driver who could not get a mobile phone signal in Sharrington, which has fewer than 100 residents. "That does really undermine the point that BT are trying to make; that the signal strength is good here," said Mr Harris. "Connectivity is absolutely fundamental."
Mr Harris, who used the phone to tell his son and daughter about the day's campaigning, added: "Today is only a wake-up call; we will go on making calls from this kiosk."
The classic K6 phone box was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 and went into production the following year.
Roberta Hamond, 73, from nearby Morston, was among those who queued to call to family and friends. "It's hugely important," she said. "It's about caring about your village; it doesn't mean you'll always win. It's that unity, and knowing the value. More and more, it's hard to feel the value in north Norfolk when they suddenly shut down the local surgery or the schools because there are not so many children, and we're older and the wrong demographic. It's much bigger than this one phone box. We are losing sight of history, and this is a little bit of our history - and it's saved a life."
North Norfolk Liberal Democrat
MP▸ Steffan Aquarone said the phone box was a "beautiful example" of a K6, and a community lifeline. "BT will find the phone box usage has gone up quite significantly due to this today, but it's the significance of those calls that matter," he said. "This is against the backdrop of rural communities losing so many services over the year. This is the village standing up and saying, 'We want to keep this.'"
BT said it was reviewing its payphone estate, removing those that were no longer being used, and retaining those "where there is still a critical social need or high usage". It added: "The payphone in Sharrington saw fewer than 10 calls made from it in the last 12 months. Maintaining and operating a large estate of payphones costs BT millions of pounds each year, an obstacle that prevents more investment in full fibre broadband and mobile networks, which our customers tell us they want."
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