We put the books in and take them away and it’s nice to see it being used.” “I put in a notice board just so people could leave funny wee messages as well as a chalkboard for people to say hi to the next person. “We just thought we could freshen up and give some life to it so as to make it part of the community. We got the phone taken out and replaced with shelves and it all came together. John continued: “We had to get it completely rubbed and sanded down and repaint it, sourcing the red paint and gold leaf to do the crown. Since 2008, more than 6,600 phone boxes have been taken on by communities for just £1 each through the Adopt a Kiosk programme. In March, BT announced that almost 4,000 of its phone boxes across the UK were up for grabs. “The box was actually in another lady who lives in the village’s area so we asked her could we take it over and turn it into a wee library - we initially had a few different ideas to do with it but it’s such a small space that we thought a book nook would be a good thing.” “You can approach BT and buy it for £1 and they transfer it across and once we got it, we were allowed to put electricity back into it. Speaking to Belfast Live, John said: “We are part of the Ballyeaston Village Committee and the phone box was owned by BT - we had an idea to turn it into something for the area. John Orr and his wife Betty decided they wanted to create a landmark in the local area and noticed that the disused phone box had a lot of potential. I am very hopeful that funding can be found to do a grand job on its restoration.A Co Antrim village has completely transformed a derelict red phone box into a cosy mini library for the community to enjoy. Whitley Bay councillor John O'Shea said: "I am really pleased that the Whitley Bay Big Local has secured permission to upgrade this iconic phonebox. They are also working with the post office to keep it as a functioning postbox. The Whitley Bay Big Local is now looking to secure funding to help bring the novelty phone box back to its former glory. There aren't many panes of glass in it at the moment." "We have an art project with Barnardo's, creating glass panels that could be installed in the phone box. "We want to see pen pals between local schools and schools in areas with other K4s. Lots of young people don't use postal systems anymore. ![]() It is all about preserving not just the heritage of this site but also the whole history. ![]() Sarah Sutton, Whitley Bay Big Local's community engagement manager, said: "The plans are to refurbish it to how it would have been in 1928 and to become a museum piece involving locals. ![]() Now, the Whitley Bay Big Local has adopted this piece of historic street furniture and has community-focused plans for it. Over the years, the experimental three-in-one facility has become worse for wear and the subject of vandalism. Read More: Northumberland National Park facing crisis after Government funding cuts The noise generated by the stamp dispenser disrupted phone calls much to the annoyance of users. Only around 50 such telephone boxes were built and operated across the UK, many of which are now in museums after the experiment failed. The phone box acted simultaneously as a post box and stamp dispenser. The telephone box, known as a number four kiosk (K4), outside Whitley Bay Metro Station was erected in 1928 as part of an experiment to replace post offices. A Grade II listed Whitley Bay phone box is to refurbished with visions of turning it into a community asset once again.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |