Norman Road phone box project completed at last

AFTER nearly six years, Saltford Parish Council (SPC) has announced the successful completion of its Norman Road phone box project.

The community-led initiative has transformed a decommissioned red phone box – at the junction of Norman Road and A4 Bath Road – into a vibrant local landmark, floral feature, and emergency lifesaving station.

The project began in 2019 as a simple idea to adopt the kiosk from BT for £1. After delays caused by the pandemic, by late 2021 SPC had tendered to have the phone box repainted and repositioned – only for it to be destroyed in a road traffic accident in early 2022.

But SPC remained committed to its vision and in time sourced a refurbished K6 phone box to replace the one that had stood at Norman Road for many decades.

Thanks to support throughout from local business The Mobius Group, led by founder and CEO Lee Bignell, when SPC bought the refurbished phone box in 2023, the team at Mobius prepared a new base and oversaw its installation for free. Lee also gave his expert advice and support for the rest of the project.

During the summer of 2023, the team at Flourish Foodhall and Kitchen created planters for the new phone box, and filled them with flowers as a gift to the Saltford community.

Ever since, the flowers have been regularly tended by Mary Stoate, a resident who lives nearby, and Flourish replaces the flowers every six months.

An emergency bleed kit was added by SPC in December 2024, as part of a wider SPC project to install five bleed kits around the village.

Finally, thanks to the landlord and team at The Crown in Saltford pub, the project culminated this summer with the addition of a battery-powered defibrillator, funded and maintained by the pub.

The defibrillator, and bleed kit, are accessible to the public at all times, and are also registered on national networks for use by the emergency services.

Jon Godfrey, in a personal capacity, will recharge the defibrillator batteries for free using solar power.

Thanks to the generosity of these local businesses and the Saltford community – along with the efforts of SPC – most of the costs for the project have been covered through insurance and delivered at minimal cost to residents via the parish precept.

Cllr Jon Godfrey, chair of Saltford Parish Council and lead of the phone box project working group, said: “This project shows what’s possible when a community works together.”

Pictured left to right are Lottie, from The Crown in Saltford; Rosie Crocker, marketing and events manager, Flourish Foodhall and Kitchen; SPC Cllr Phil Harding; Anita Bignell, support services director, Mobius; Mary Stoate, resident and volunteer; SPC chair Cllr Jon Godfrey; and SPC Cllr Paul Smith