Whether in the form of graffiti or the defacing of property, vandalism is an issue prevalent in many communities. However, the village of Chobham has had a creative way of dealing with this problem.
An iconic red telephone box has been positioned for many years outside the Chobham Village Hall, yet over time it had become less and less used as mobiles became more and more popular. Recently, the kiosk had been damaged through the result of vandalism. With its windows smashed and rubbish strewn over the floor, the telephone box had looked rather sorry for itself.
What was to be done about this? On the one hand, British Telecomm wanted to get rid of the box as the maintenance costs were high. But, on the other, the community wanted to keep it as a listed monument as it had been a part of their village for many years.
Then, one keen anonymous villager had an ingenious idea where they tidied up the vandalised box, cleared away the smashed glass and put shelves up in it. Then, they filled it with books. From autobiographies to romances; crime to factual; historical to supernatural, the kiosk appears to have something for everyone. The clear sign on the door makes it clear to passer-by’s the intention of the box- “Everyone is Welcome to take a book from the kiosk or donate one to it”.
This is a creative solution to the problem of vandalism. BT do not seem to have remonstrated about the use of their property in this way and the village have embraced the idea, filling in the 'comments' notebook with lots of positive thoughts on the initiative.
This is truly poetic justice.
By Henrietta Dunsmuir, Sir William Perkins School
