Burying history! Schoolchildren bury time capsule at campus site

PUPILS from two local Melksham schools played their part in history this week, helping to bury a time capsule at the site of the Melksham Community Campus. 

Pupils from Aloeric Primary School and Bowerhill Primary School helped curate items to be included in the capsule, which will not be opened until 2051 at the earliest. The items included stories, letters, pictures and poems from the pupils, and a recent copy of the Melksham News.

The campus, which is being constructed by Pellikaan Construction Ltd, is due to open by autumn 2022. It has been supported with a grant from Sport England, and will offer a wide range of facilities and services under one roof, including a gym, cycle and fitness studios, 25m pool and learner pool, sports hall, library, café and meeting space for the community. 

Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for leisure, cllr Ian Blair-Pilling said, “It’s not often you have an awareness of living through an historic time, but due to the challenging circumstances we’ve all been experiencing the past 20 months caused by the pandemic, there’s no doubt that this particular part of history will be talked about for years to come. So, to capture this moment in time for others to look back on in a generation is a really exciting and special prospect. I thank the pupils for their excitement and enthusiasm to be involved and we really appreciate the effort they put in. 

“The campus build is making really positive progress and from what I’ve seen, the Melksham community has a lot to look forward to in 2022.” 

Latest updates on Melksham Community Campus, including a regular newsletter, can be found at: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/1018/Melksham-Community-Campus  

People can also get updates on the campus’s social media feeds, which can be found at https://twitter.com/CampusMelksham and www.facebook.com/MelkshamCommunityCampus