Iconic red telephone boxes, victims of the mobile phone revolution, are being put back into use in rural villages across North East Wales.

The kiosks were originally designed by the famous architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, whose great works include Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, Waterloo Bridge and Battersea Power Station.

The telephone box, painted ‘currant red’, proved equally iconic and by the 1980s there were over 80,000 of them around the country before the rise of the mobile phone led to them becoming largely redundant.

But now, thanks to a special project launched by rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd, they are experiencing a new lease of life across the rural areas of Flintshire, Wrexham and Denbighshire.

Up to five telephone boxes in each county will be re-purposed at a cost of £3,000 each to provide a range of services to locals and visitors in countryside villages with local communities raising some of the necessary cash.

In those villages where for years they were often the only contact with the outside world, they have taken on a role housing bicycle pumps, books and brochures, defibrillators and dog poo bags.

They are also tourist information points offering brief histories of the area along with details of points of interest, recommendations for visits and walks, and the flora and fauna found locally.

The project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.

Sarah Jones, Cadwyn Clwyd environment and heritage officer, said: “The project arose from BT information about adopting a telephone box and a number of our communities showed interest.

“Gwaenysgor in Flintshire was one of the first and because theirs was still connected to electricity they were able to put a defibrillator in.

“We have put in a block application for the three counties of Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham and we have £15,000 for each county, enough to kit out five boxes in each with local communities also making a contribution of £750.

“It has been a really good project and one we’ve been delighted to be involved with because this gives a new and useful lease of life to these wonderful and historic pieces of street furniture.

“They have been part of the fabric of our villages and countryside for decades and thanks to this they will continue to play a part in local life.”

The suggestions for the boxes come through the Local Action Groups for each county and to date Denbighshire has completed two, in Eryrys and Glyndyfrdwy, with three more currently in progress, Aberwheeler, Maeshafn and Tafarn y Gelyn, and Flintshire has completed one, at Gwaenysgor with Ysceifiog in progress.

Wrexham are at the planning stage and they have been in touch with community councils in Gresford, Llay, Bwlchgwyn, Bryncefn and Penley.

Adrian Barsby, from Flintshire Tourism Association, a member of the Flintshire LAG and chairman of the Flintshire Destination Partnership, said: “It’s a very positive idea and a really good way of making use of something that’s an instantly recognisable feature of so many villages.

“It also shows how this kind of project can bring so many different groups together in partnerships and the boxes are somewhere that books can be exchanged, local information shared and it can encourage cyclists and walkers into our historic villages.

“It can also be a way of informing those who live and work in these villages about their heritage and history which is a positive for people in the tourism and hospitality sector.”

Wendy Sime, from Penley, vice-chair of the Wrexham LAG, said: “This project gives a second life and a new chance to these iconic kiosks to continue to enhance and benefit rural life.

“In Penley we’re planning to use ours as a children’s book and board game exchange because it is miles to the nearest library.

“There are just so many good ideas, including the bicycle pump, first aid kits and information boards and they can also become a real focal point for villages and a way of involving and bringing together local people.”