A TELEPHONE box will become the unusual meeting spot to raise awareness for a charity that supports family carers.

Helen Simmons is the manager at the charity Crossroads Caring for Carers Worcestershire branch.

Mrs Simmons said: “We adopted the phone box and the idea behind it, is that it would be for recruitment days, and to make it famous so people will have heard about it. This will raise awareness of what we do and people will get behind us.”

Mrs Simmons hopes to get a range of celebrities to have their photo taken next to the phone box in Powick, the celebrities she has in mind are a secret for now, although the actor, Tony Adams who played the character Adam Chance in Crossroads Motel, has agreed to be the charity’s patron. Mrs Simmons said this is “very exciting” as the show played significant part in the charities history.

In 1973, the soap opera featured a storyline where the son of the Crossroads Motel owner had a car accident and was paralysed. His mother (Meg) had to care for him (Sandy) at home. Noel Crane, a man from Rugby, who was being cared for by his mother at the time saw the programme and wrote in, complimenting the programme makers on their portrayal of the needs of someone with a disability. They took him on as an adviser on disability issues and shared his concerns about the lack of support for people like his mother, whose life had undergone significant change as a result of his accident. ATV donated £10,000 in 1974 to set up a pilot project in Rugby with the aim of supporting family - based carers in a practical way and Crossroads Caring for Carers was born.

Mrs Simmons said: We support people with care needs and also the carer.

Ms Simmons said it is important to support family based carers, people who care for family members at home: “It’s a hard role, it’s not a chosen role. Some of them can be caring for 10 years, for example, if they are caring for someone with dementia, and they can get so tired. They just need a break.”

The charity's address is Crossroads Caring for Carers Worcestershire,Weir Lane, Lower Wick, Worcester. WR2 4AY. To find out more visit homecareworcestershire.org.uk or call 01905 729293.