Wokingham

To mark the first 25 years of Hawthorns Primary School in Wokingham, chairman of the council Cllr Angus Ross will attend a unique event on January 5, 2007, when a time capsule containing a collection of interesting items will be buried in the courtyard of the school building.

Copies of local Wokingham newpapers, predictions for the future, data sheets, a commemorative mug, a school calendar and a photograph of the whole school will be placed in the time capsule and buried by staff, governors and pupils of the school.

25 years later, on Friday January 9, 2032, everyone involved will be invited back to the school, when the time capsule will be unearthed, so they can review the various items and how their thoughts and predictions have fared.

Predictions in the time capsule will include possibilities such as the discovery of life on another planet and internet shopping replacing shopping centres, as well as weather predictions and how much a four-bedroom detached house might cost in Wokingham. Data sheets will also be added, listing everyone’s favourite food, drink, item of clothing, activity, game or sport, music, TV show, film, actor/actress, holiday and opinion on the biggest problem facing the world.

Cllr Angus Ross said: “Projects like this show how imaginative our local schools can be in taking such an interesting approach to thinking about life now and how it might be in some time to come.”

Stephen Hempson-Jones, headteacher of Hawthorns School, Wokingham said: “This unique and symbolic event has inspired our pupils to think in challenging and creative ways about the present and the future. An interesting question for everyone involved is where their invitations should be stored to remind them where they should be on Friday January 9, 2032.”

Wokingham District Council