THE red telephone box in Paxford is set to be transformed into a miniature library after villagers rescued the booth from falling into disrepair.

Members of the village hall committee came up with the idea to buy the phone box for the princely sum of £1 after taking inspiration from a similar initiative in Dorset and want to turn it into what would be one of the smallest libraries in the world.

Communities up and down the country have been invited to purchase defunct telephone boxes from BT for small fees as part of its ‘adopt a kiosk’ campaign, transforming them into creative community assets such as mini art galleries and defibrillator points.

Cheryl Dean, village hall committee member, said they thought it was important to keep the iconic red telephone box in use.

“We want to retain the traditional telephone box,” she said. “It’s part of the village. It seemed appropriate to keep it.

“It will be focal point and give a sense of community in the village. We have now got to get some funding to put some shelving up.”

The phone box, which is between the bus stop and the village hall, has been empty for at least four years and residents say it needs a tidy up.

Paxford resident Maralyn Harvey said: “It’s been bubbling away for a while. I think it’s a great idea. It’s going to be really useful. The thought is that we will use it as a kind of book exchange rather than use it as a depository for everybody’s old books.

“But it needs doing up at the moment. What’s really nice is the way that everybody in the village is coming together on it.

 

”TOP 10 PHONE BOX BOOKS

1. Lord of the Rings – J R R Tolkien 2. Dial M for Murder – Frederick Knott 3. The Postman Always Rings Twice – James M Cain 4. An Inspector Calls – J B Priestley 5. For Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway 6. Call of the Wild – Jack London 7. Atonement – Ian McEwan 8. To Call a Mockingbird – Harper Lee 9. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Phone – J K Rowling 10. Anne of Green Cables – Lucy Maud Montgomery