TWO disused BT phone boxes have been made the new location for defibrillators in rural Monmouthshire, after funding from a community council.

When BT decided to close its rural red phone boxes there was a big question about what to do with them. Although no one used them any more to make phone calls there was and remains an affection for these iconic little boxes and opposition to simply scrapping them. This concern coincided with a widespread anxiety in these remote communities with an ageing population about the sometimes long response times from the ambulance service in reaching people experiencing heart problems; not helped by extreme shortcomings in mobile phone reception throughout the area.

Trellech United Community Council (TUCC) stepped up to the plate on both issues and asked local community groups whether anyone was interested in using the phone boxes for some other purpose. Of those that said yes, the majority thought that some of those in their area could have a useful second life and, in particular, might house a community defibrillator. Others, such as Pen-y-fan, the Narth, Parkhouse and lower Whitebrook identified the need for local information points.

TUCC decided to support this core idea and fund the installation of defibrillators in several locations in the area on the proviso that local community groups would undertake the general oversight and maintenance of the sites, two of which, in Penallt and New Mills, will be refurbished phone boxes. Other sites agreed for defibrillators include village halls at Llanishen, the Narth, Catbrook (2014) and Whitebrook (2015); also Browns Store in Llandogo (2014) and the Village Store in Trellech. For the phone boxes, TUCC also contributed towards the cost of a badly needed wash and brush up that most of the boxes needed. In Penallt, for example, they provided the paint for retired builder Bryn Boycott to repaint the local box and the highly talented glass artist Cathy Farber to reglaze some of the panels in wonderful stained glass. Councilor George Weston has handled the logistics of installing the defibrillator units including sorting out the electrical supply that BT has agreed to contribute for free. Daniel Tucker and Matthew Tabb of Thomas Brown Electrical of Monmouth have installed the most recent units for free and City Electrical Factors of Newport have supplied all the necessary wiring and parts, also free of charge. In Trellech the defibrillator was installed by the proprietor of Trellech Stores (a qualified electrician).

Some of the boxes will have a multiple use. Again, using Penallt as an example, their box also doubles up as a tourism information point and notice board for local services and suppliers. The Penallt box will be managed by the Babington Meadow committee and Councilor John Baldwin, a member of the committee, has undertaken to keep a daily eye on this reinvented and extremely useful community asset.

Training plans are afoot to make sure that each community has a core of people skilled in its use. The Welsh Ambulance Service will provide free training locally in the use of the defibrillators. Dates and locations are not yet confirmed, but there are likely to be sessions held in Llanishen and in Penallt in the autumn. Those interested will need to watch the TUCC website (www.trellechunited.org.uk) for details when they become available, as well as local notice boards and village websites.

The devices can be used by anyone, and once one is activated a voice recording talks you through what to do. However, those who attended training sessions in Llandogo and Catbrook found that they felt much more confident after they had a go. The British Heart Foundation has also supplied inflatable manikins on which to practice CPR so the training sessions will be "hands on".

Those interested in further information should contact Ann Davison, clerk of TUCC at [email protected] or call 01594 530295.