Wokingham

On Friday January 9, 2032 a time capsule will be opened that was buried on Friday (January 5, 2007) by pupils, teachers and governors at the Hawthorns Primary School in Woosehill along with Wokingham District Council’s chairman Cllr Angus Ross.

Buried in the courtyard to mark the first 25 years of the Wokingham school, the time capsule contained a collection of interesting items including local and national newspapers, a commemorative mug, a calendar and a photograph of the whole school.

Painting a picture of what life is like for them in 2007, pupils included their own thoughts in the time capsule on their favourite food and drink, clothes, music, books, television programmes, films, actors and holiday destinations. They also included what they felt was the biggest problem facing the world at the moment.

And pupils looked into the future and gave their predictions for the next 25 years on a range of topics including whether they thought life would be discovered on another planet and if the internet will replace shopping centres. Other predictions included what the climate will be like in 2032 and how much a four-bedroom detached house might cost in Wokingham.

Stephen Hempson-Jones, headteacher of Wokingham Hawthorns Primary School, said: “This unique and symbolic event has inspired our pupils to think in challenging and creative ways about the present and the future. When the time capsule is unearthed in 25 years’ time, it will be fascinating for future generations at the school and will allow them to take a peek at the past. An interesting problem for everyone involved is where their invitations should be stored to remind them about Friday January 9, 2032.”

Wokingham Cllr Angus Ross said: “Projects like this show how imaginative our local schools can be. Hawthorns Primary School have taken a very interesting approach to thinking about life now and how it might be in 25 years’ time.

“Let’s hope some of the children who buried the capsule will attend the ceremony in 2032 and reflect on their predictions and share their memories of 2007 with the younger generations in the school community. I do hope that I will be able to join them, with the current headteacher, in 2032!”

Wokingham District Council