Skip to content

Rudolph the red phone box reindeer honours delivery drivers

Cary Outis Reindeer phone box, PrickwillowCary Outis
Rudolph is made from painted and stuffed canvas, copper plumbing pipe wrapped in insulation, faux fur timber and plywood

A disused red phone box has been transformed for the 10th year running to bring festive cheer to a village.

The defunct kiosk in Prickwillow, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, has become a steam train, a giant bauble and donned a facemask in a "Covid" makeover.

Designer Cary Outis said he chose Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer this year to give "real workers a look-in".

"Delivery drivers have helped us cope in the past couple of years and this is a little homage to them," he said.

Cary Outis Reindeer phone box, PrickwillowCary Outis
The Ouse Life Drawing Group has been delivering new Christmas-inspired designs every year for 10 years

"After all, it's Rudolph who does the hard work of delivering on Christmas Eve, while all Santa has to do is slide down a chimney."

The telephone box was bought by the parish council in 2010 and turned into a miniature art gallery.

Members of the Ouse Life Drawing Group have "blinged up" the box since 2011.

Cary Outis The Santa with a facemaskCary Outis
Mr Outis said the 2020 design was met with a "fabulous" response
One of the previous designs, a presents-filled sleigh nose-diving into the ground
A previous design of a presents-filled sleigh nose-diving into the ground raises questions about Father Christmas's driving...
CARY OUTIS trainCARY OUTIS
... perhaps that is why Santa swapped to a train for his Prickwillow visit

Mr Outis has created seven of the 10 designs.

The artist and sculptor said: "Rudolph the red phone box reindeer has a head made from painted and stuffed canvas, his antlers are made from copper plumbing pipe wrapped in insulation and his backside is covered in faux fur covering timber and plywood."

He reused eight metres (26ft) of faux fur used for the previous three years' Father Christmas transformations.

It took him about 20 hours to complete.

Cary Outis Reindeer phone box, PrickwillowCary Outis
The Rudolph design has been praised by locals

It will stay on Main Street until 31 December.

Mr Outis said the response so far had been great, with "people driving past and beeping, some stopping to congratulate us and others walking over to say they love it".

Prickwillow phone box
In previous years, the phone box has been a present, sweet and bauble
presentational grey line

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion please email [email protected]