COMMUNITY leaders are to consider turning a phone box into a new asset for the community.

Sarah Jones, natural resources officer for Cadwyn Clwyd, spoke at a meeting of Llay Community Council about the ‘Red Telephone Box Regeneration Project’.

The scheme – which was approved by the Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham local action groups as part of the LEADER project – allows community groups or councils to give K6 Giles Gilbert Scott red telephone kiosks a new lease of life by installing facilities decided on by the community.

Cadwyn Clwyd is looking to refit five of the phone boxes across Wrexham, with suggestions from previous refits in Wales including a book swap, a defibrillator station, a visitor information point and more.

Sarah Jones told councillors: “The project involves working with the community through workshops to come up with ideas of what they want to include in their kiosk.

“The main thing that all kiosks have is some form of information point.”

She said the kiosk would typically include an A1 panel containing information chosen through the workshops, adding: “It is bilingual. It can contain information about the village, old photos, tales, walks with some interesting points on, every one has some form of map – this is what the community
decides on.

“The other thing people wanted in most of these kiosks was a cycle repair kit because the places they are in, a lot of cyclists do go through.

“Most of the other villages wanted dog poo bags and one wanted a first aid kit.”

Ms Jones added that if arrangements are made before a community adopts a phone box, the electrical supply can be retained and the box is able to be fitted with a defibrillator.

Cllr Rob Walsh asked what could be done to prevent vandals from damaging the box, to which she responded: “It is down to community involvement and this is where the workshops are key, getting as many people involved as possible from the word go.

“With a number of the kiosks we have been involved in, the schools have been involved.”

Cllr Walsh said there are two phone boxes which may be suitable for refitting in Llay, one in First Avenue and another in Croes Howell.

Joining the scheme would require the community council to match fund £750, which Ms Jones said works out at about 30 per cent of the final cost of the refit.

Council chairman Bryan Apsley thanked Ms Jones for her presentation and suggested the matter be added to the agenda for October’s meeting, to be decided on after councillors have had a chance to find out about the project in more detail.

LEADER is part of the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014 – 2020, which is financed by the Welsh Government and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

No community councils or groups in Wrexham have yet joined the project.