The winners of the time capsule project for Inverness Castle were announced today as North Kessock Primary School!
The school submitted their top five items to be represented in the time capsule that will be suspended in the original well within Inverness Castle. The items were:
- A personal diary from home-schooling during the Covid-19 lockdown, including newspaper clippings;
- A ribbon with Scots writing and the date to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III;
- A selection of coins in use in 2023, as well as a £5 Scottish note;
- A photograph of North Kessock and Inverness from the air including diesel/ petrol cars;
- An iPhone.
Representatives of the winning school will be invited to attend the suspension of the time capsule in the well in Inverness Castle.
All primary schools in the Highlands were invited to take part in this project to identify significant items to include in a time capsule to be suspended for over 50 years in the well within Inverness Castle. In the project, sponsored by Bancon Construction, all pupils were asked to nominate the top five items to put into the time capsule that reflect what they believe is special about the area of the Highlands in which they live.
As well as the items proposed by North Kessock Primary School, there were five additional items that were popular proposals by several schools across the area. These items will also be represented within a second time capsule:
- Nessie!
- A dream ring from Harry Gows
- Logos of Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ross County football clubs
- A diary entry of a Highland pupil as they welcomed a young person from Ukraine to their school
- Selected newspaper clippings from the newspapers covering the Highlands
Schools who proposed one of the items included in the final content for the capsule included:
Balloch Primary, Inverness
Beauly Primary School, Beauly
Ben Wyvis Primary School, Dingwall
Bridgend Primary School, Alness
Cannich Primary School, Cannich
Central Primary, Inverness
Cradlehall Guides, Inverness
Crown Primary School, Inverness
Farr Primary School, Inverness
Gledfield Primary School, Ardgay
Hilton Primary School, Inverness
Inver Primary School, Tain
Kirkhill Primary School, Kirkhill
Lochardil Primary School, Inverness
Mallaig Primary School, Mallaig
Merkinch Primary School, Inverness
Muirtown Primary School, Inverness
Raigmore Primary School, Inverness
Rosebank Primary School, Nairn
St Clements Primary School, Inverness
Strathdearn Primary School, Inverness
Cllr Ian Brown, Leader of Inverness City and Area and Co-chair of the Inverness Castle Project Delivery Group, said:
“We were delighted by the response from schools across the area for the time capsule project and it really was inspirational to see the wide-ranging ideas from our younger generation about what they believe is special about the Highlands. Although there could only be one winning school, we were very pleased to recognise five additional items that were common to many of the other schools’ submissions. We can only imagine the excitement there will be in 50 years time when perhaps some of those involved today will be able to tell the stories of the items included in the time capsule today – just as Inverness Castle will share the story of the Highlands past, present and future when it opens in two years time as a visitor experience.”
High Life Highland Chair, Mark Tate, said:
“It has been so interesting to hear the suggestions of our Highland young people about the significant items they would like to see included in the time capsule – and great to know that one day a new generation will learn about what life was like in the Highlands by the story attached to each item. By giving all the schools an opportunity to participate, and including the additional items, the time capsule itself will become part of the story of the Inverness Castle Experience when it opens in two years time.”
Kate Lackie, Interim Chief Executive of The Highland Council, said:
“Being a member of the panel to decide the winning entry was a real pleasure – and quite a challenge too, with there being so many interesting ideas from schools across the Highland area. The decision to extend the capsule to include ten items reflected the hard work, thought and creative approach of the young people behind every single entry. On behalf of the panel, thank you to each and every one of you for your contributions that will add another layer of local interest to the Inverness Castle Experience when it opens in 2025 – and you will all need to remember to come back in 50 years time when the capsule will be opened!”
Allan Clow, Managing Director, Bancon Construction, said:
“We have been delighted to support and facilitate the time capsule project for the Inverness Castle Experience. It has been especially exciting to be involved with schools from across the Highland area as they gave their thoughts on what might be included.”
The Inverness Castle project, opening in 2025, will benefit from £30m investment to support its re-development from the Scottish and UK Governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and a range of other partners.
The Inverness Castle project is part of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, which is a joint initiative supported by up to £315m investment from the UK and Scottish governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and University of the Highlands and Islands, aimed at stimulating sustainable regional economic growth.’
