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Time capsule buried as landmark development opens

Alex Meakin
BBC News, South
BBC A group of 20 children stand around an open hole in the ground. Four of them are holding ropes that are crossed over each other and are around the capsule, which is a metal box that has already been lowered into the ground. In the background the blue windows of the Station Hill development are visible. BBC
A group of primary schoolchildren lowered the time capsule into the ground

Schoolchildren have buried a time capsule at the heart of a town's new landmark development to mark the site's official opening.

Reading's £850m mixed-use Station Hill development was being launched to the public on Saturday, amid live music, an artists' trail and tours of residential spaces.

The opening comes after an investigation into a blaze in a high-rise building on the Berkshire site said the construction industry had shared "lessons learned" from the incident "to prevent future occurrences".

A worker on the development was rescued by crane operator Glen Edwards when it caught fire in November 2023.

On Thursday, pupils from Civitas Academy buried the time capsule beneath a fountain next to the One Station Hill building.

Filled with artwork, a newspaper, a train ticket and the bottom of a Christmas tree, it was sealed in the ground to be opened again in 2060.

Children from the primary school had worked on the project since returning to their classrooms after the Covid pandemic.

More than 50 Year 5 students took part in the capsule burial, which was also attended by local MP Matt Rodda and Reading Borough Council leader Liz Terry.

Celia Frain, head of school at the academy, said they began working with local charity JellyArts on the project in 2021.

She said: "It was quite fresh after the pandemic. A lot of our children and families were rebuilding, not only relationships with each other but also relationships with places and spaces that had changed a lot.

"So for our children to be part of something in the wider community, particularly in the town centre which not many would have been in throughout that time, was really important to them feeling safe and confident in building those relationships again."

Thivigka is wearing a green and white chequered school uniform
Ten-year-old Thivigka said she plans to help dig the capsule up in 2060

Ten-year-old Lily helped to bury the capsule and told the BBC: "It's very exciting, knowing I'm part of something special."

Her classmate Thivigka, 10, said she was "really proud of myself because I never knew I'd do this".

The picture shows the capsule open and items around it which will be put inside to be buried. They include a copy of the local paper, a water bottle, pictures drawn by children, a book on art, a train ticket, and a bag.
Items inside the capsule include a train ticket, a copy of a local paper and pictures drawn by local schoolchildren

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