John’s Notes: Clapham Village Newspaper, August 2020
Watching the school leavers of 2020 planting a time capsule in Clapham village park on the school’s last-ever day, 17th July, reminded me that a long time back - staggeringly, 49 years ago - I buried a time capsule of my own in our back garden. The Clapham Time Capsule - now set in concrete - is due to be retrieved in 2050. Maybe one or two of this year’s ‘last-ever’ pupils will be around to take their children along to share in that revealing moment.
I must have buried mine during the second week of June 1971, as that was the week that John Noakes, Peter Purves and Valerie Singleton planted the Blue Peter Time Capsule in the grounds of Broadcasting House - to be reopened in the year 2000 - and encouraged all us young viewers to do the same. Whereas the BBC team filled their ‘capsule’ (actually it was a humble box) with Blue Peter memorabilia and film reels, I vaguely recall that mine contained a plastic action figure and a Dinky car, a poem (the one I was proud to have had printed in the school magazine that year), and I imagine perhaps a page from a comic and maybe a picture of my 1970 Division One Championship-winning heroes (just like Slade and power cuts, Everton were all set to be big in the Seventies, but it was 14 second-rate seasons before they lifted that trophy again).
Following the Clapham ceremony I suggested to my Mum that maybe I should try to dig up my capsule, as I’ve a rough idea where I planted it. She was noncommittal, understandably, given the probable havoc I would create in their garden; also, judging by the decomposed condition of the contents of the Blue Peter box when they retrieved it after just 29 years underground, I doubt there’d be much left at all of mine.
We can be confident that Clapham’s corrosion-resistant steel capsule will keep their memorabilia and memories intact. Which is good news, as the Clapham pupils’ time capsule also contains something quite unique: extracts from their ‘Lockdown Diaries’. Unwittingly, the class and staff of 2020 were in a position to capture something of distinctive historical value - the thoughts of a community’s youngsters during the most exceptional worldwide event in decades. It will be fascinating to those who open the capsule in 2050 to read about how they spent their days, apart from their friends but connected by online games, home-schooled and learning new skills in baking and creating artworks on stone. There are many memorable passages (you can read them in the souvenir newspaper which the pupils produced in the Summer term): the most poignant for me being Sammuel’s comment as they began lockdown in March: “When we were home I thought that would be the end of Clapham School.”
This ending has been sad and painful enough, and an enforced premature finish would have been even more unbearable. Thankfully those who remained until the end, did return to enjoy their last few weeks in a bubble together. We hold in our prayers the leavers from Clapham School, including the staff team led by Matthew Atkinson and Adam Kay, as they move to new beginnings; and the whole community at this time of loss and adjustment.
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