Roly Toombs of Ventnor Rugby Club recently presented a cheque for £250 to Indra Riches and Rob Engelgardt outside the traditional red telephone box in Niton, soon to become the hub for local tourist information.
The money was raised when the cyclists taking part in the Randonnee passed through Ventnor in May where the club’s base at Watcombe Bottom was used as a checkpoint and fuelling station.
The money will go towards installing an old-style phone which visitors can use to hear stories of Niton’s history and amenities. By dialling different numbers and listening on the handset – among other stories – they can learn about Niton’s murky smuggling past, the devastating bombing attack during the Second World War, and the facts about Marconi’s early experiments with radio transmissions when he was based in Knowles Farm back in the 1890s.
The phone box, which is situated opposite Niton’s post office, is hoped to be fully operational by the end of Autumn.
