Conwy kiosks adopted for £1 to install defibrillators

One phone box in Ysbyty Ifan has already been renovated, with another due to follow

Defunct BT phone boxes have been renovated and had defibrillators installed to potentially help save lives.

Eirian Roberts from Ysbyty Ifan in Conwy county has helped adopt two such kiosks.

One is on a notorious bend on the A5 for use in case of crashes, and the other is in a remote area.

BT is running a scheme where people can pay £1 for a former kiosk, so long as it provides "something inspirational".

Tomos Hughes of Achub Calon y Dyffryn, a group campaigning to get defibrillators into communities, worked with Ms Roberts and the council to secure funding for the work. The group has overseen the installation of 18 so far.

"I hope it's never used but it's there if it's needed," Ms Roberts, clerk of Ysbyty Ifan community council, said.

Eirian Roberts worked to renovate two phone boxes in Ysbyty Ifan

The first kiosk, on the A5, has already been renovated and a defibrillator - a kit to treat life-threatening heart problems - installed.

"We have had concerns (about a corner on the road) for some time, especially with motorbike crashes," Mrs Roberts said.

The second phone box, also in Ysbyty Ifan, will be painted red and filled with flowers and house another defibrillator.

There are 419 kiosks available for various uses in Wales, with 362 already adopted

Recognised public bodies, such as a parish or town council, can apply for a kiosk.

Boxes can also be adopted by registered charities or people with one on their own land.

Mrs Hughes said: "Many of these phone boxes were not being used and were being vandalised.

"Being able to give them a new lease of life, and one that could save a life, has been fantastic."

Conversions across the UK so far include mini libraries, miniature art museums, cake shops, information centres and a tiny nightclub in Devon.