Beautiful seaside village with residents fighting to keep their ‘lifeline’ red phone box.uk
Locals were told they needed to make 52 calls a year to keep it plugged into the landline – but can’t call anyone at all after it stopped working.
Members of North Devon Residents Association with their beloved phone box (Image: Tanja Katarina Rebel)
With the number of iconic English red telephone boxes dwindling day by day, the residents of one quaint village in Devon have rallied together to save theirs. The community of Combe Martin gathered on Church Street around their beloved booth, which serves as an indispensable landline for this remote area.
Facing the stipulation of making a minimum of 52 calls per year to keep the landline connection, the villagers were frustrated by the need for repairs when the phone stopped working. Many argue that keeping the booth operational is crucial for residents’ safety. Local resident Tanja told Devon Live: “How are we supposed to make the 52 calls a year necessary to keep the phone box if the phone doesn’t even work?
The phone box is precious to the community (Image: Tanja Katarina Rebel)
She continued: “Copper analogue landlines and phone boxes in every village are essential for safety as they work during power cuts and other emergencies.”
Highlighting their importance, she added that such facilities remain vital for those who avoid or cannot use mobile devices due to Electro-hypersensitivity – an unrecognised medical condition causing symptoms like headaches and sleep disorders.
The campaigners were supported by two members of the North Devon Voluntary Services, who agreed that landlines and phoneboxes were crucial to remote rural communities.
Supporter Kelly said: “I live in a small village on the other side of Exmoor, and our phone box was taken away without the community realising. It’s an essential resource in a power cut.”
Inspired by the proactive residents of Sharrington, Norfolk, a group is campaigning to maintain their local phone booth and bring back cash payments.
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Community members offered to paint the phone box – but were told no (Image: Tanja Katarina Rebel)
“The phone box – when it works – only takes cards,” said Tanja. “It urgently needs its coin function reinstated, for secure access.
“If electronics fail, cash works and it needs to be reintroduced where it has been taken away. Cash is king.”
Despite being officially registered for use, the phone box is reportedly in dire need of refurbishment. According to the North Devon Resident Association, people living nearby had offered to give it a lick paint, but had been told not to.
“We hope to be able to get permission for this soon,” the group said. “There is a wonderful Community Kitchen around the corner of the Phone Booth, offering delicious soups. This should not be a chore.
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Villagers were told they need to make 52 calls a year from the phone box – but it’s broken (Image: Tanja Katarina Rebel)
“The dismantlement of phone boxes across the country is a huge mistake. Our phone boxes are not just quaint relics from the past. They are an essential service and function as veritable lifelines.”
The campaign has garnered considerable local backing, with one supporter remarking: “It is important to have landlines, nice to see an action group in action.”
