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OMD phone box - connection restored
AN old red telephone box that had become synonymous with
Wirral chart toppers, OMD, is now back on the street thanks to a campaign led by
fans. The telephone kiosk on Greenwood Road, Meols, is beloved by OMD fans as it
is the subject of the band's 2nd single release:- "Red Frame/White Light"
in 1980. The band used to make calls to organise their early gigs in the late
1970's and the number of the telephone:- 632 3003, is a key feature of the song
lyrics. The telephone box was removed earlier this year as part of BT's payphone
removal programme, with no objections having been received as part of the public
consultation process towards the end of 2016. However, once fans realised that
the kiosk had been removed, they quickly organised themselves into a campaign
group to call for its reinstatement, if not as a public telephone, as a kind of
tourist attraction for OMD fans, from near and far, who regularly visited the
site as part of their travels. Their lobbying quickly drew support within Wirral
Council and particularly from the Cabinet member for Transport and
Infrastructure, Cllr Stuart Whittingham. Officers from within the council's
highways team and Wirral West Constituency Committee liaised with colleagues
from BT and the box was secured and placed into quarantine while arrangements
for its recovery were put in place. The campaigners originally named
themselves:- 'Save 632 3003,' but have now become the:-
'Friends of 632 3003' and as a properly constituted:- 'Friends'
group have committed to maintenance and management of the telephone box, now it
is back in place. 1 of their 1st tasks will be to give the kiosk a lick of
paint, in that famous 'currant red' colour, with a supply of paint
provided free of charge by BT.
Steph McCahill, Chairperson of the Friends of 632 3003 said:- "Seeing the
phone box returned and installed today is a significant milestone in the work of
the Friends of 632 group who campaigned hard to get it back into its rightful
place. The OMD fans have been with us every step of the way and, like the
Friends Group, are ecstatic about the box being reinstalled. Many overseas fans
will be visiting the phone box when they are in the area for the OMD gig, that
takes place on 29 October 2017."
Cllr Stuart Whittingham added:- "We're just really happy to have been able
to play a part in rescuing this significant local landmark before it was lost
forever. It has been an unusual thing to have been part of; both BT and the
Council followed the correct process in managing the proposed phone box removals
and indeed some of the 26 planned removals were refused after public objections.
But in the case of 632 3003, its cultural status is unofficial and the
objections didn't come until later. The important thing was we acted quickly and
decisively and, having made suitable arrangements with the new Friends group, we
have been able to work together to find a way of satisfying all parties."
Mark Johnson, BT payphone manager, said:- "We're pleased
that we've been able to work with Wirral Council to reinstate this phone box
that has captured the hearts of OMD fans across the world, and that the Council
are adopting it to keep a piece of local pop music history alive."
Andy McCluskey from the band also welcomed the return of the telephone box,
saying:- "The old telephone box at the corner of Greenwood Road was our
communication centre to the rest of the world in the very early days of the band
when neither Paul Humphreys nor I lived in houses that had a telephone. It had a
nostalgic connection for both of us as we needed it to call School friends and
girlfriends and seemed an appropriate subject for a song by a band that
specialises in the interaction of humans and machines. Using 632 3003 we
arranged concerts, phoned music newspapers and kept in contact with our manager
and record label. It was here that I heard the news that we had our 1st Top 20 single. I was sad to see it removed, but frankly amazed at the level of
support that the 'Friends' gathered in having it reinstated. Many thanks to all
who have taken part in preserving this small piece of our history. I am
delighted to see it back because I am still playing music and touring 40 years
after our 'little red office' started us on the journey!"
The Friends Group are now focusing their efforts on getting the box refurbished
and will be organising fundraising events to help them with the upkeep of the
phone box, such as an 80's disco, to be held on 24 November 2017, at Melrose
Hall, Hoylake.
Tickets for this event can be purchased by contacting the team at 'Friends
of 632 3003' on Facebook and more information can be found on the
group's
Twitter account.
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