Sporting legends Tommy and Lewie Coyle have joined forces with KCOM in a search to find Hull’s Hometown Heroes.
Hometown heroesTommy Coyle and his brother Lewie outside the 90 year old KCOM phone boces, Carr Lane, Hull.
Former Commonwealth boxing champion Tommy and Hull City captain Lewie launched the search this week by unveiling their own dedicated K6 phone boxes outside KCOM’s city centre HQ, on what’s been dubbed ‘Coyle Corner’.
The brothers are now appealing for the public to nominate their own community heroes to join them in having one of KCOM’s classic cream K6s phone boxes named in their honour.
Boxer turned businessman Tommy Coyle, who was made a Freeman of the City of Hull in 2025, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of this Hometown Heroes campaign. Anything that celebrates those brilliant people who work to make their communities a better place for everyone is a great idea.
“It’s great to have one of Hull’s famous phone boxes named after me. Everyone thinks of Hull when they see a cream phone box and I’m proud to be part of this city and its history.”
Lewie Coyle, who runs his own Football Academy when not chasing promotion with The Tigers, said it was an honour to have an iconic K6 named after him.
He added: “I’m proud to be from Hull and to become the captain of my hometown football club is a massive honour – as is having my name on one of our famous phone boxes. It’s fantastic to be part of Hometown Heroes and recognise those unsung community champions out there across the city.”
The brothers took time to meet youngsters from Griffin Primary School, who were on an Experience Day at KCOM’s Learning Zone with Hull Children’s University, during the launch when they popped out to meet their sporting heroes.
Hometown Heroes is part of KCOM’s celebrations to mark the 90th anniversary of the classic K6 phone box, which first appeared on the streets of Hull and East Yorkshire in 1936.
KCOM will now dedicate nine K6s, one for each decade they have stood on Hull and East Yorkshire’s streets, to nine Hometown Heroes nominated by the public. The final nine winners will then be picked by a panel of celebrity judges including Hull’s own former Emmerdale actress and charity fundraiser Gemma Oaten, Pride of Britain Award winner ‘The Hull Boy’ Marcus Skeet and Emma Hardy MP.
KCOM CEO Richard Schäfer, said: “What better way to celebrate this milestone for our iconic K6 kiosks, which have stood in the heart of our communities for 90 years, than to dedicate them to the people who make those communities thrive.
“We’re looking for people who are shining stars in their local community, whether that’s the local lollipop lady who’s helped generations of kids cross the street safely, the person who organises the local foodbank or the manager who turns up, rain or shine, to run the local football team – not asking for any thanks in return. These are the Hometown Heroes we want to recognise and we now need the people to tell us who they are.
“I’d like to thank Tommy and Lewie – two Hometown Heroes who already do fantastic work in the community – for launching our search today. It’s great to have Hull’s sporting first family on board – now let’s find out who’s joining them.”
The K6 kiosks were designed by renown British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V. They have since become a British design icon alongside the likes of the Mini Cooper and Routemaster Bus.
Unlike the rest of the UK, which has red phone boxes, Hull and East Yorkshire boasts cream-coloured kiosks – a legacy of the region’s independent phone and broadband network. Hull’s phone boxes are also missing the royal crown which red boxes in the rest of the country bear, due to the fact that they weren’t owned by the state.
Public nominations are now open to find nine Hometown Heroes and run until Monday 23rd March.
For more information about Hometown Heroes or to nominate your own community hero who deserves extra recognition visit www.kcom.com/hometownheroes