A school in Porton is on a mission to track down 13 students from the past after uncovering a hidden time capsule dating back to 1971.
Staff at St Nicholas CE Primary School came across the object containing drawings and notes by the pupils of that year during the first lockdown.
It was found in a bunch of boxes that were put away when the school carried out some renovation works a few years back.
Admin Officer Lisa Glover said: “It was a big envelope sealed with wax signed by all the children that contributed to the time capsule.
“There were all these beautiful drawings and written information about life in 1971... flares, football, cars that people would drive, the whole spectrum of topics reflecting life at the time. It was really lovely.”
After hiding the time capsule away 50 years ago, teachers reopened it 10 years later to include information about where those children, who by then had turned 20, had ended up and what they were doing 10 years after leaving the school.
It was again packed away until its discovery at the end of March 2020.
As the school will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, staff are keen to get in touch with the 13 children whose stories are contained in the time capsule to invite them to the school for a reunion, Covid permitting, and see their artwork on display.
Ms Glover said: “Those children from 1971 will be 60 this year. It would be nice to do something to commemorate that.”
The reunion would also tie in with a project on the last 10-year census that St Nicholas is also working on alongside the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In 1971 the school was known as Idmiston Primary School and would have only had two or three classes.
The next school year the St Nicholas opened at its current site.
The children who signed the time capsule before moving on to secondary school were called William Johnston, Nina Johnston, Jimmy Thornborough, Jerry Thornborough, Robert Harman, Paul Cowlisham, Trevor Bailey, Valda Gazzard, Susan Harvey, Linzi Newson, Sandra Nightingdale, Trevor Gazzard and Josephine Ingram.
If this is you or someone you know, the school would like to hear from you at 01980 610401.
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