AN ICONIC red phonebox in Leominster called Bertie Bargates has a growing fun club – that’s the message from the group of people trying to restore it to its former glory.

Bertie Bargates, the red phonebox in the Bargates, Leominster, should soon be home to a defibrillator, which could save lives in an emergency.

The group behind the project said Bertie was a lifeline for the people of Bargates and Barons Cross in the days before mobile phones. And they say he will continue to be a lifeline once the defibrillator is in place.

After BT removed the phone and sealed the door, the box’s condition deteriorate as windows were smashed and moss turned the red paint green.

That’s when the group got together and formed a plan for the box it affectionately knows as Bertie.

They said: “We have a plan. It’s been done elsewhere the iconic red phone boxes that are part of our heritage are being repurposed so why not Bertie? He could become a life saver.”

The box was handed over to the Community Heartbeat Trust, an organisation which helps communities get defibrillators, by BT in 2015..

That’s when local people and members of Leominster in Bloom and Leominster Rotary club came forward to help, with the group saying “Bertie’s fan club is growing day by day”.