Aberdeenshire Council buries time capsule full of children and young people’s memories of lockdown
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Aberdeenshire Council collected the creative reflections of more than 100 children and young people from across Aberdeenshire last year with submissions which included poems, drawings, letters, arts, crafts, songs and even dance.
These have now been added to a time capsule – which was custom-made from the remnants of an old North Sea drill bit with the expertise of Odjfell Technology and XIC – ready for future generations to enjoy.
Talented local young people attended the Inverurie Academy campus to share their reflections and represent peers across Aberdeenshire on Monday.
James Duncan and Aaliyah Watson from Turriff Academy and Emily Morgan from Banff Academy wrote a poem together while they were in P7 at King Edward School.
They shared this with the Provost and others, alongside pupils from Strathburn School who explained the concept of their knitted ‘worry dolls’ and Daisy Cleland from Mearns Academy who got the chance to perform her lockdown dance in person.
James even piped the group from the site the time capsule has been buried in, to the community campus.
The time capsule has been buried as part of the landscaping of the grounds of the new Inverurie Community Campus, with thanks to contractors Robertson and also Shadow Shapes who are donating a metal plaque to be installed on the plinth onsite.
The finishing touches are underway on the grounds of the Community Campus, where the local community will be able to enjoy impressive sports pitches and an amphitheatre space to support local events.
Provost Judy Whyte explained: “We are very pleased to have been able to celebrate the entries for the time capsule project and see these treasured memories saved for future generations to reflect on.
"Thank you to all our children and young people and our school staff who put their time and energy into creating so many wonderful entries, and thanks to our partners for making this exciting project possible.”
Councillor Gillian Owen, Chair of Education and Children’s Services Committee added: “We are very proud of our children and young people across Aberdeenshire, who have had such a lot to cope with over the last few years.
"They showed great support for their communities and real resilience in the face of evolving guidance and changes to their school (and home) life as the pandemic unfolded.”
Jason Moir from XIC also offered his thanks on behalf of Odjfell Technology. He said: “It’s great to have been part of such an interesting project, to have seen the time capsule take shape and to be here to mark this important milestone as it heads underground to preserve all these special memories.”
Bruce Adam from Shadow Shapes who are donating a plaque for a plinth to mark where the time capsule is buried added: “We’re pleased and proud to be supporting this project associated with lockdowns. It was a tough time for us all, but a time when we thankfully managed to work and create something new which has flourished.”
