Unused but not unloved - BT throws 'adoption' lifeline to 10 old red phone boxes in Sheffield

With 98 per cent of British adults now having a mobile phone, hardly anyone uses the old red phone boxes any more - but that doesn’t mean they have to go.

Acknowledging that people love this iconic feature of British streets, BT runs an ‘adoption’ scheme as an alternative to just ripping them out.

Ten are available in Sheffield, from the city centre to country villages. Up for grabs are two boxes on Pinfold Street, as well as West Street, Leopold Street, Surrey Street and Fargate. There is one on each of Madehurst Road, Heeley; Walders Lane, Bolsterstone and Manchester Road, Deepcar.

BT is offering them for just £1 to ‘recognised public bodies’ such as a parish council, community council or town council. They can also be adopted by registered charities or individuals who have a payphone on their own land. And the firm promises to maintain the electricity supply.

But what to do with them?

Defibrillators are a top choice, but they have also been turned into libraries, mini art galleries and local museums.

Michael Smy, Head of Street at BT, said: "With the vast majority of people now using mobile phones, and significant improvements to mobile coverage across the UK, we’ve continued to see a big drop in the number of calls made from payphones.

"That’s why we’re continuing to review our payphones estate, making sure we're prioritising the removal of those not being used, in line with Ofcom’s latest guidance.

"With the iconic red kiosk about to turn 100, it's a great opportunity to remind communities that would still like to retain their local kiosk to take it on for just £1 through our Adopt a Kiosk scheme. We’ve already seen some great kiosk conversions across the UK that have become valuable community assets."

Architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed the first incarnation of the famous red phone box for a competition in 1924.

The number of phone boxes peaked in the 1990s at around 100,000. Today there are 20,000, with about 3,000 the traditional red kiosks.

Since BT introduced its Adopt a Kiosk programme in 2008, more than 470 phone boxes have been taken on by communities across Yorkshire and the Humber.

Across the UK, more than 7,200 have been adopted so far. 

Regulator Ofcom states boxes should be protected if they are in a location without coverage from all four mobile network providers; they are in an area with a high frequency of accidents or suicides; more than 51 calls have been made from them over the past 12 months; or there is other evidence that a phone box is reasonably needed at a site – for example, where it is being used to make calls to helplines such as Childline or the Samaritans.