Mathias Reding – via Unsplash+When non-Britons imagine the classic red phone box, it would seem like the strangest decision ever to get rid of one, charming and iconic as they are.
Yet a rural village called Sharrington, in Norfolk, woke up one morning to find a notice on their neighborhood British Telecom phone box saying that not enough calls were being made to justify its continued service.
The community then took action, holding a call drive to meet the quota of 52 calls needed for BT to change its mind.
“It just goes to show you that communities can achieve incredible things when we stand together to protect what matters to us,” said North Norfolk MP Steffan Aquarone. “The K6 phone box is a lifeline in this small, rural village and, when BT said they were planning to remove it, the whole of Sharrington stood up and said ‘absolutely not’.
Calling it a lifeline is no exaggeration, as it had been used last year not only to call 911 (999 in the UK) but also by an ambulance driver to make a call during an emergency when he had no cell reception.
On March 15th, residents gathered in the nippy morning air to place enough phone calls from the box to ensure BT kept the lifeline connected, which a spokesperson from the company told BBC was indeed what would happen.
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“This decision was made due to the poor mobile phone signal in the area and the significant number of calls made from the payphone, highlighting its importance to the community,” the spokesperson said.
Local resident Derek Harris said he was “so proud of our community” for standing up and standing together on behalf of what was important to them.
“It means everything to me to know that the phone box will still be here long after I’m gone.”
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