Looking to the future at Auchinairn Community and Early Years Centre

Date:

Thursday, 24 May, 2018

Excited children at the new Auchinairn Early Learning and Childcare Centre have been marking the opening of their new facility by burying a time capsule for future generations.

With a helping hand from the Robertson builders who constructed the centre, the children have buried the capsule in the gardens at the front of the building.

A plaque marks the spot where the treasure can be found in the hope that it is retrieved by children 50 years from now.

Auchinairn Early Learning and Childcare Centre Manager, Janet Brady, was keen to capture the impact the new building has had on the children and to share this with future generations, she said, “We hope that whoever digs up the time capsule in the future will get a taste of what life was like for young children in Auchinairn in 2018. We have buried a memory stick with photographs showing the construction of the new building and the final days in the old building and photographs of the children themselves. There are also some drawings, paper clippings, photos and a school tie from the old Auchinairn Primary School.”

Officially opened by Provost Alan Brown on 2 May, the Auchinairn Community and Early Years Centre incorporates the previous Auchinairn Nursery with a community facility comprising a variety of rooms for sports, music and events, as well as a community café. The children who attend have quickly settled into their lovely new surroundings which boast bright open rooms with floor to ceiling windows and new resources for the children to explore and learn from. Doors open straight into the beautifully landscaped gardens which offer a variety of play areas and outdoor equipment to encourage investigative and risk taking play.

Convener of Education, Councillor Jim Goodall, went along to see the time capsule burial and to meet the children as they settle into their new building, he said, “The children and the staff at Auchinairn Early Learning and Childcare Centre appear to be quite at home in their new building and it is clear that they are enjoying both the indoor and outdoor facilities the centre provides. Marking the opening of the centre with the burial of a time capsule is a great idea, preserving some local history for the future community of Auchinairn. It will be nice if some of the children who buried the time capsule are there when it is retrieved in 50 years!”