A CALL has been made for the community’s help in giving three of Petersfield’s phone boxes a new lease of life.

The mayor of Petersfield has challenged residents to think outside the phone box in finding new uses for its classic red kiosks on Winchester Road and Cranford Road.

The two ‘K6’ Kiosks are owned by the town council along with a third on College Street, which has been renovated into a community book swop.

Cllr JC Crissey is keen to restore the trio to their former glory and hopes the Petersfield Men’s Shed will get involved.

A request to install a defibrillator inside the Cranford Road kiosk has been made but all three are in a “tired condition” with the recently-purchased Winchester Road box missing several panes and desperately needing a repaint.

It’s common for old phoneboxes to be turned into libraries or defibrillator stations, but Cllr Crissey hopes residents will be inventive and dial up their ambition.

He said: “If you look online you’ll see there are so many things we can use old British phone boxes for other than just a library, although there’s nothing wrong with that.

“But there’s a question of whether or not we can get people and residents involved.

“One of the phone boxes could become a garden, a greenhouse or even a water feature. There’s lots of different possible uses and I’d love to hear some more ideas.”

Cllr Crissey has revealed that BT has made a commitment to spruce up its still-operational but rarely-used red phonebox by the Post Office on The Square.

Councillors have been told that inspections of the Winchester Road and College Street boxes have taken place with the council ordering and footing the bill for painting and glazing.

The council hopes a volunteer group will carry out the work, with recent conversations taking place with a community outfit.