Telephone box saved in rural village after campaign

Sharrington's phone box was said to have been used fewer than 10 times last year

A phone box described as a "lifeline" which was used fewer than 10 times last year has been saved from being disconnected.

In October, telecommunications company BT announced it would close the phone box in Sharrington, near Holt in Norfolk.

However, villagers held an event to drive up the number of calls, with 146 calls made in total - almost three times the number needed to save it.

North Norfolk MP Steffan Aquarone said: "It just goes to show you that communities can achieve incredible things when we stand together to protect what matters to us."

On Friday 14 March, villagers queued at the phone box in a bid to increase the amount of calls made from it.

Guidelines say a minimum of 52 calls have to be made from the box each year in order for it to remain in service.

People had pleaded with the company to retain the phone box in 2016.

Derek Harris said he was "proud" of the community for coming together

Villagers including Derek Harris have been campaigning to save the phone box. He said the news was a "tremendous victory for common sense".

Mr Harris said the phone had been used for a 999 call by people who lived nearby, and in the past couple of weeks had been used by an ambulance driver who could not get a mobile phone signal in the village.

He said: "I am so proud of our community for coming together to save our emergency lifeline and for standing up to preserve something so important to us.

"It means everything to me to know that the phone box will still be here long after I'm gone."

BT posted the announcement of the payphone's planned closure on 31 October 2024

Mr Aquarone said: "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'.

"It is so heartening to know that the Sharrington phone box sign will continue to light up in this small, rural corner of North Norfolk for many evenings to come, with many more conversations still to be had down its crackling phone line."

Speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk, he said it was a "massive win" for rural communities across Norfolk and he believes the box will used even more after the campaign.

"This is a great story of a community standing up to a large corporation and a large corporation doing the right thing."

Mr Aquarone emphasised how the service was needed for public safety and had been used during emergencies.

A representative for BT confirmed it had decided not to remove the phone.

It said: "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."

BT guidelines say a minimum of 53 calls need to be made from a phone box to keep it in use, but the one in Sharrington has now had more than 146