Following a talk about safety on building sites for pupils of Redfield Edge Primary School, Cotswold Homes site manager Mark Fletcher steadies the time capsule as the children prepare to fill and seal it prior to burial at The Bridge. They are (left to right) Ellie May (6), Ruby (10), Harvey (7), Ashton (7), Jakob (9) and Ruby (10). Lending a hand is Cotswold Homes’ on-site sales consultant Annie King-Sharp.

Almost 200 pupils in a South Gloucestershire primary school have been working with Tormarton-based housebuilder Cotswold Homes Ltd to create a unique record of twenty-first century life in the village of Oldland Common, midway between Bristol and Bath.

Now they have buried it close to the school, deep in the ground at The Bridge, Cotswold’s development of 13 contemporary three-bedroom and four-bedroom detached family homes taking shape on a site overlooking open countryside on the junction of High Street and Victoria Road.

Andrew Foss, head teacher at Redfield Edge Primary School who co-ordinated the project with the help of all the teachers, ensured that each of his 195 pupils produced a piece of work to be buried in the time capsule.

‘Each class chose a theme,’ said Mr Foss. ‘They ranged from their own autobiographies to fact files about the school. One pupil wrote a letter about life in Oldland Common in 2013 for a child living 200 years in the future. Others described school life, today’s famous people – and hairstyles!’

Among items placed in the time capsule were memorabilia from the 2012 Olympic Games in London and some SATs, pupil assessment records.

One pupil wanted to bury a guinea pig, in case they had become extinct in the future, while another wanted to include their parents’ brand new 3D TV to show what early twenty-first century technology was like!’

Commented Mr Foss: ‘Among other benefits of the project were the opportunities to explore some broad issues such as climate change, globalisation and advances in technology.’

Says Cotswold Homes’ sales manager Terri Hayes-Pugh: ‘We’re always keen to get involved in activity within the local community. It was a fascinating project and the children received a site safety talk from the site manager to reinforce our message about safe sites.’