School's letters to the future

Pupils from Northfold Primary School in Cleveleys buried a time capsule under the new sea defences at Rossall, leaving a lasting legacy for a future generation to discover.

Items inside the time capsule include photos, newspapers and coins, alongside facts about the children and letters about current hot topics such as the EU referendum and climate change for the lucky person who uncovers the capsule in hundreds of years’ time.

It was buried at Rossall on Wednesday, at the building site where Wyre Council is replacing two kilometres of sea defences from Rossall Hospital to Rossall Point in a £63m project that will protect 7,500 properties from flooding.

James Rochester, class 6 teacher at Northfold Primary School, said: “Class 6 have been learning about how coastlines change over time, so visiting Rossall provided amazing first hand insight and the chance to observe the defences gradually taking shape was fascinating.

“Not only have the children benefited from consolidating their class based learning with a real life experience, but they’ve had an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy and footprint about their own lives, as well as Northfold School and the surrounding area.

“Their hope is for the capsule to remain buried for a very long time before at last being unearthed for a future generation to muse and ponder over. What an amazing discovery that would be!”

Air and water-tight, the time capsule is expected to remain buried for at least a hundred years, which is the estimated lifespan of the new sea defences.

Simon Barker, project director at Balfour Beatty, main contractor for the sea defences, said: “We were really pleased to welcome the youngsters of Northfield Primary School to the Rossall site this week. Through our work with the school the children have been able to learn about the role of sea defences in protecting homes and businesses across Lancashire.

“We hope they will be able to share their experience with their families, and that some of these budding engineers will be inspired to follow a career in engineering.”