Losing phone boxes is just a sign of the times

I don’t know about anyone else but I haven’t used a public telephone box for about 20 years (I’m guessing here) although it was probably whenever I got my first mobile, which itself wasn’t much smaller than a phone box back then.

When I was in high school I probably used them more for a quick kiss (we called it a winch in those days), but it would be good to see people, or even communities doing something to keep them through the Adopt a Kiosk scheme.

I’m talking about BT’s plans to close around 1500 phone boxes in Scotland because they aren’t being used.

There’s a historic aspect to it here in Falkirk too as the world-famous Carron Company used to manufacture them.

Of course, the site where the firm used to be will close down next year, taking with it the Carron name to Slovakia, so we’re losing even more of Falkirk’s heritage.

So, BT has begun consultation on removing the call boxes because no calls were made from more than 700 of them last year, while payphone usage has declined by over 90 per cent in the last ten years.

I know that in Maddiston there are plans to turn one of the red boxes into a defibrillator station, while in other areas of the country communities have other uses like a selfie box.

I’d like to see them used as community spaces like small art galleries or something, but you know some wee ned will just come along and wreck it for the sake of it, with absolutely no regard to the work people have put into it.

And that’s just another sign of the times we have to put up with these days.