BT is offering communities across the Tivyside area the opportunity to adopt their local phone box for just £1 to turn them into something inspirational.

More than 400 traditional red boxes are available for adoption across Wales. BT will also consider adoption requests to house defibrillators in more modern boxes.

Already, nearly 400 payphones have been adopted by communities across Wales – with 37 in Ceredigion, 33 in Pembrokeshire and 36 in Carmarthenshire.

BT will continue to provide electricity (if already in place) to power the light for adopted kiosks, free of charge to communities. Where electricity is available, adopted boxes can be used as housings for defibrillators – an increasingly popular and potentially life-saving conversion.

Other new ventures include conversions to mini-libraries, miniature art museums, cake shops and information centres. One payphone in Devon was even turned into the “world’s smallest nightclub.”

Katherine Bradley, BT’s senior payphones commercial and operations manager, said: “We’re pleased to be giving even more local communities the chance to adopt a phone box. With nearly 400 payphones now adopted across Wales, this is a fantastic opportunity for communities to own a piece of history.

“Applying is easy and quick and we’re always happy to speak to communities about adopting our payphone boxes.”

Communities can adopt a kiosk if they are a recognised public body, such as a parish council, community council town council or parish meeting. Boxes can also be adopted by registered charities or by individuals who have a payphone on their own land.

Tomos Hughes of Achub Calon y Dyffryn, a group working to get defibrillators into communities across Wales, said: “This scheme has enabled communities across Wales to purchase phone boxes for £1 and turn them into real community assets. The kiosks are often in rural and isolated areas, so having easy to use defibrillators, for local residents and tourists, could be a real life saver in future.

“Many of these phone boxes were not being used and were being vandalised. Being able to give them a new lease of life, and one that could save a life, has been fantastic.”

For further details on how to apply to Adopt a Kiosk, go to www.bt.com/adopt where application forms and information can be found.