SAVE A BRITISH ICON & SAVE LIVES
The famous Gilbert Scott designed K6 or Jubilee kiosk was launched in 1936 to celebrate King George V’s silver jubilee. By the 1960’s almost 70,000 kiosks could be found across the countryside, and whilst the public payphone service has undergone enormous changes since then, the traditional red kiosk had already forged itself as an iconic symbol of British life.
People use the public payphone service less and less these days. In order to maintain a social service where it is needed most, it has, in recent years, been necessary to reduce the overall number of public payphones on our high streets. Understanding that the red telephone box plays a significant part in our national heritage and in many cases forms a focal point for communities across the country BT is able to offer communities the opportunity to keep these kiosks.
BT and The Community Heartbeat Trust, are working together to help communities turn their adopted telephone boxes into local medical centres, by using them as homes for Public Access Defibrillators, storing the defibrillator in a well recognised, safe, weather-protected location. Adoption of the telephone box is £1 from BT. Documentation to adopt a kiosk is available from CHT via the adopt a kiosk button below or as a hard copy on request or from the BT website.
BT will provide free electricity for the first 7 years of the project for all CHT projects. There is no automatic right to use the unmetered supply in a kiosk, only the 8 Watts in the adoption agreement for the internal light. Permission to connect to the electricity is required for adopted kiosks, either from CHT or from BT directly.
