IMAGINATIVE villagers have transformed their treasured telephone box into the Tower of Loppergarth by keeping the carnival drag queen’s crown jewels inside it!

Residents were rewarded for their ingenuity by BT, which searched the country to find the best alternative use of a red phone kiosk, and named theirs the best, winning the village £1,000.

Having bought the kiosk for just £1 last year and transforming it into a tourist information booth, the village, near Ulverston, decided to have a “bit of fun” at the expense of the male population.

Julie Dawes, chairman of Pennington Parish Council, said: “Last year was a year of firsts for our village. We became the first in the North West to adopt our phone kiosk and it was the first time we had a community summer fete.

“We decided to have a carnival queen with a difference, so the ladies decided the men should dress up in drag for it.

"Three were game for a laugh, and we gave them a crown, made by villager Helen Dewhirst, and a fairy wand.

"It was a bit of fun and we had a really good laugh.”

Joe Ramsbottom was crowned carnival “drag” queen, and will be using the crown and wands for official duties.

John Lumb, general manager of BT Payphones, said: “This ‘drag queen store’ was certainly one of the more unconventional and amusing suggestions that we received.

“However, it is a great reflection of the sense of fun and community in Loppergarth, where villagers truly captured the spirit of the competition.”