# BT sponsors defibrillators in disused red phone boxes

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/07/20/bt-sponsors-defibrillators-disused-red-phone-boxes/
- Published: 2011-07-20T14:41:27+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Working with the Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT), a charity that makes possible
the provision of defibrillation equipment for local communities, BT is paying for
the equipment and installation of the specialised life saving machines into five
kiosks around the country.**

BT is putting the red phone box at the heart of rural communities again. It is funding
the installation of defibrillator equipment, which can help save the lives of cardiac
arrest victims, into five decommissioned red phone boxes adopted by rural communities.

BT introduced its [Adopt a Kiosk](http://www.payphones.bt.com) scheme in 2008, in
response to requests from local councils and residents. It allows a community to
retain their local red BT phone box, with the payphone taken out, by buying the 
kiosk from the company for just £1.

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The first kiosk to be fitted with the defibrillation equipment funded by BT is in
Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire. It is the 1,500th red phone box adopted by a local
community in the UK.

Martin Fagan, national secretary of the [Community Heartbeat Trust](http://www.communityheartbeat.org.uk),
said:

> “We are immensely grateful to BT for their help in this novel use of a familiar
> icon. Phone boxes are ideal locations for emergency medical equipment because 
> they’re often in the centre of a village.”

Apart from the defibrillator kiosks, boxes have been turned into art galleries, 
public libraries, exhibitions and information centres. Even the villagers of Ambridge
in BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Archers’ have adopted their kiosk.
 

Gallery on the Green

 There are now 11,000 traditional phones boxes across the UK out of a total number
of 51,500 kiosks. The numbers of red and modern kiosks are set to continue to shrink,
as BT cuts their numbers to match demand. BT has recently written to parish councils
across the UK inviting them to adopt their local kiosk and safeguard it from being
removed.

Indeed, community groups have just eight more days to adopt one of 3,000 unused 
phoneboxes, otherwise they will be decommissioned and removed.
  

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