It’s hard to believe – but there are as many of the old red telephone boxes in Draycott In The Moors as there are in the whole of Stoke-on-Trent!
The old ‘K6’ style kiosks (first produced in the 1930s) have all been gradually dismantled in Stoke, and, recently, a survey revealed only two were left in the whole city.
However, we have two here in this district alone – one on the Cresswell lay-by and one at the old post office opposite the Draycott Arms. Only one works now – the last one mentioned – but it now no longer takes cash, just cards.
(There is another phone box in Draycott, the one on the corner of Stuart Avenue, but that is a modern-style one).
Adopt…
But what BT would really like is if the local community ‘adopts’ the unused kiosks, to use as a sort of feature or heritage landmark. It sounds strange, but actually, the scheme has been pretty successful, and hundreds of them have been ‘adopted’.
Phonebox at old post office, Draycott-le-Moors
Some of these adopted phoneboxes have been turned into ‘pop-up’ shops, or wildlife information centres or even art galleries.
The Community Heartbeat Trust charity has even installed defibrillators in some local boxes.
…for just £1
The good news is that, yes, the phone boxes here in Draycott In The Moors are available for ‘adoption’ – at the grand price of just £1!
Any parish council or registered charity can apply.
Worth a thought, isn’t it?
