Pupils' lasting memento of technology's Evolution

Thirty four year three and four pupils from Wolviston Primary School in Billingham visited the 700-acre business park to witness the burial of a time capsule next to the recently completed Evolution office scheme, developed by Strategic Sites.

The pupils have been putting together the contents of the time capsule over the past four months to provide a permanent record of technology in 2007 after developing community links with the site earlier this year. 

Items included photographs of the school past and present, a mobile phone, a professional CD recording of the children singing, a collage of technology, some copies of Apple Macintosh animations projects as well as more traditional items such as a school tie and children’s diary entries.

The idea was prompted by the history of the Wynyard Park site, which was formerly home to the Samsung factory where technology was key and now, as a business park, has a wide range of occupiers including computer firms and engineering companies who use complex technologies as part of their everyday business.

Stephen Fawdon, a teacher at the school who has been involved with the project said: “We feel that technology is something that children should be aware of as an ever changing aspect of society.  The school itself is constantly building on its technology resources and have just invested in new laptops, Apple Macintosh computers and interactive whiteboards.

 “It’s great to have been able to team up with Wynyard Park and Strategic Sites on the time capsule project as the site is an important part of our local community. Like Wynyard Park, we as a school are constantly developing and the time capsule captures a snap shot in time and will provide a permanent landmark that the children can be proud of.”

Carillion is the main contractor for the Evolution office scheme that offers 16 contemporary office suites ranging from 1,235 sq ft to 15,210 sq ft featuring high-quality design.  The offices will be surrounded by eye-catching landscaping and the time capsule, which will be marked with a plaque, will be situated in a prominent position within the landscaping fronting Wynyard Avenue.

Paul Barber, managing director of Wynyard Park’s development arm Strategic Sites who is behind the Evolution scheme said: “It was fantastic to be able to welcome the children to the site to create a permanent landmark for the Evolution scheme.  It is also a fitting addition to the site which has evolved over the years in the same way that technology has.

“In years to come when some of the children may be working or running businesses here it will be nice for them to know they made their mark many years earlier.”

Following the time capsule burial the children then got the chance to experience first-hand the vast scale of the sites’ 300,000 sq ft logistics centre called Wynyard 360, owned by Helioslough, as they took turns to navigate model racing cars around it.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Wynyard Park is a 700-acre development located at a key junction of the A19, 5 miles north of Middlesbrough.

The site was created following the amalgamation of the Wynyard One site and the neighbouring Wynyard Business Park site at the end of August 2005.

Further information is available at www.wynyardpark.com