Our Centenary Time Capsule

25th April 2024

We buried a time capsule with help from pupils at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School to mark our 100th anniversary. The time capsule has been buried in the school’s peace garden for 100 years, to give school children in 2124 a historic cache of what life was like in Greater Manchester in 2024.

time capsule

 

We wanted to Capture all that's great in Greater Manchester and Cheshire with what we included in the capsule. Such as a vinyl single from Stockport band The Blossoms, a Stockport County scarf, and a rare coin made with graphene, a new material discovered twenty years ago by the University of Manchester.

Many of the items in our time capsule were selected by the school children, including a St Joseph’s school tie, a letter from the school and examples of their Head Teacher’s awards. We included special Vernon items as well, like a copy of the original minutes from the Vernon’s first board meeting on 27 March 1924 and a page copied from an early ledger book, showing the first mortgage advance of £200 to Christopher and Myfanwy Stevens on 6 September 1924.

Who attended...

We were extremely pleased that Stockport Mayor, Councillor Graham Greenhalgh, head teacher Ann Reeh of St Joseph's school, and St Joseph’s school council joined our CEO, Steve Fletcher, for the very special burial. It was a very special moment in the Vernon's history and we're honoured they took the time to be a part of it!

Kimberly, a ten-year-old pupil at St Joseph’s Primary School, said that when the capsule is opened “the children will think that it’s from one thousand years ago because they will have floating cars and lots of things that we would never expect, as technology can improve things very quickly and fast. They probably won’t have to eat anything; they will just tap something to get what they need.”

Our Chief Executive, Steve Fletcher said: “We’re hoping that in 100 years time, people will be excited to open our time capsule and that our colleagues and Members will be there to enjoy the occasion. We’re proud to be thriving on the high street and continuing to put our Members front and centre of everything we do, having withstood wars, financial crises and a pandemic over the last century. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved - we fully intend to keep the Vernon’s flame burning bright for the next 100 years.”

What was in the time capsule?

Here's a full list of everything we've included in our centenary time capsule:

  • A vinyl single from Stockport band The Blossoms
  • A Stockport County Scarf
  • A collection of items made from graphene, a new material discovered twenty years ago by the University of Manchester
  • A St Joseph's school tie
  • A letter from the school
  • One of St Joseph's Head Teacher's awards
  • Original minutes from the Vernon's first board meeting on 27th March 1924
  • A page copied from an early ledger book
  • A letter from Mayor Councillor Graham Greenhalgh
  • A Manchester bee pin badge
  • A Coronation Street pin badge
  • A Vernon Bear soft toy
  • A fidget toy chosen by the children
  • A set of coins from 2024
  • A copy of the Manchester Evening News from 27th March 2024
  • A miniature hat donated by Stockport's Hat Works Museum
  • Children's book, 'It's a No-Money Day'  by Kate Milner, exploring a family's trip to a foodbank and living below the poverty line
  • A news article revealing Stockport has been named the best place to live in the North West by The Sunday Times from March 2024
  • Stockport Council Freesheet, ‘Stockport Change Here’ which celebrates Stockport being the Town of Culture in 2023/4