An 89-year-old man from Norfolk has successfully fought to save the last red telephone box in his village, sparking a national conversation about preserving local heritage in the digital age.
A Call to Action Against Closure
When Derek Harris spotted the iconic K6 phone box in Sharrington, Norfolk, on the parish council agenda for potential removal in January, he knew he had to act. British Telecom had earmarked the kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, for closure due to low usage. The criteria for keeping a public phone requires at least 52 calls per year, yet fewer than 10 had been made from the Sharrington box in early 2024.
Harris, a resident for over 50 years, launched a tenacious campaign. He became a media sensation and a determined activist, sending a barrage of emails to his MP, local councillors, and BT itself. He even sent photographs of BT vans working nearby as proof that maintenance was feasible. "It's fighting for what is valuable, cherished," Harris explained.
Community Spirit Secures a Reprieve
The campaign quickly became a community-wide effort. To meet BT's usage threshold, volunteers from Sharrington and surrounding villages queued at the kiosk one day, making over 230 calls. Harris credits this massive turnout and the support from local leaders for the victory. In March, BT reversed its decision.
"It would have been impossible to have pulled this thing off had not so many people – local MP, district councillors, everyone – taken up the call to action," Harris stated. He believes the story resonated nationally because many people feel "fed up with being oppressed by big organisations."
More Than Just a Kiosk: A Personal Mission
Unbeknownst to the public during the campaign, Harris was facing a deeply personal battle. He had recently been diagnosed with inoperable cancer. He saw a parallel in the fight, later writing that the K6, "designed in the year of my birth, is deserving of being saved from a death sentence." The campaign gave him a powerful sense of purpose during a difficult time, though he insisted his health should not be used to garner sympathy for the cause.
Following the successful campaign, BT not only retained the phone box but fully refurbished it in the summer, installing a new door and brass hinges. "It looks splendid," Harris remarked. The victory was sweetly timed, coinciding with his 90th birthday in July, which the village celebrated with a garden party. His card from the parish council featured an image of the beloved red kiosk.
Today, the phone box stands proudly, fully functional. Harris still visits it on his walks, sometimes placing a call to keep the usage numbers healthy. Looking out from the kiosk, he describes "open fields, lovely panorama." For Sharrington and for Derek Harris, this is more than a relic; it's a living piece of community history, and as Harris puts it, proof that "there's life in the old boy yet."
