MORE than 30 Cheshire villages have saved their iconic red telephone boxes by adopting them for £1.

Parishes can purchase redundant telephone boxes and then transform them into a community facility of their choice.

Most opt to turn their historic red box into a book exchange or information point.

While some of the more humorous ideas – which unsurprisingly have not come to fruition – include turning them into aquariums and fish and chip shops!

In Cheshire West and Chester, the parishes involved in BT’s ‘Adopt a Kiosk’ programme are: Utkinton and Cotebrook, Hartford, Lach Dennis, Foulk Stapleford, Puddington and District, Huxley, Crowton, Rushton, Chorlton and Alvanley

David Lilley, vice chairman of Rushton Parish Council, says they are in the process of turning their telephone box into a book exchange, which will be run by the village book club.

“We love our old telephone box,” he said. “We’re getting a joiner to put some shelves up, then we’ll be in business.

“It’s going to need painting every three years we reckon, but we’ve got enough people to help do that.”

In Rushton there weren’t many ideas put forward for the use of the telephone box situated on the village green, but there was one very inventive – albeit tongue-in-cheek – proposal that stood out.

“We didn’t have many suggestions,” admitted Cllr Lilley. “The really odd one was sealing it up and turning it into an aquarium!”

Alvanley Parish Council is currently asking residents what they would like to see their telephone box in Church Way turned into.

Clerk Derek Bowker said: “We’re very aware of the variety of uses and around the country. A book exchange is one.

“Someone was using it as a plant exchange and I’ve seen it used in Cumbria as a tourist information point.”

Mr Bowker warns there can be problems associated with turning the phone box into a community facility, such as misuse, and admits that if residents’ feedback isn’t positive then it could be sold off for a profit instead with funds reinvested in the village.

He added: “It relies on goodwill that it’s used properly. There is another side to it. Some people who use it as a book exchange leave magazines that are not desirable for children to access.”

A telephone box on the A49 in Cotebrook was turned into a book exchange in January this year.

Vice chairman of the parish council Geoff Hope Terry said: “People are using it and I’m pleased to say nobody has been in and stolen the books, which is what a few sceptics thought.

“It’s amazing how many people said it was a landmark in the village and that they didn’t want to lose it.

“The idea for the book box came up pretty quickly, we had one or two slightly more ambitious plans. A fish and chip shop was one of the more jokey ideas!”

Foulk Stapleford Parish Council currently have no plans for their telephone box in Chapel Lane, Hargrave, but were keen to keep what they describe as a ‘landmark’ in the village.

Huxley use their telephone box as a village notice board. They are open to fresh suggestions from residents, although one idea put forward – to turn it into a greenhouse – fell on deaf ears.

Noel Cornforth, clerk to the Chorlton Parish Meeting, says their telephone box is likely to be turned into a book exchange.

Across the UK telephone boxes have also been used as grocery shops and art galleries, with some even having defibrillators installed.