Community rail volunteers in St Anne’s are appealing for distinctive items to fill a time capsule which will be buried at the station to mark its 150th anniversary.
The Friends of St Anne’s Station are planning to bury the time capsule in November – as part of an extensive programme of events to mark the occasion – and they would like local people to donate everyday items with railway associations.
Depending on the space available inside the capsule, the organisers are considering including a popular small toy, a label from a snack food – ideally showing the price, a newspaper of the day, Coronation memorabilia and perhaps some coins. A memory stick will also be added to the contents showing photographs of the station and the town as it is today.
Time capsules are invaluable to historians because they more accurately reflect ordinary people’s actual lived experience alongside official accounts and histories.
Chairman of the Station Friends Group Tony Ford said: “This is a very innovative project for us; we normally spend our time looking after the plants and shrubs, painting fencing, and keeping the platforms tidy, so getting involved in creating, recording and preserving history is a real challenge.”
“We are looking for everyday items ideally related to the railway, the trains, tickets, timetables and photographs. Old travel passes, railcards and old and new tickets will all be considered.”
“We have a few items from the current train operator Northern and the Town’s Mayor Karen Harrison has already agreed to write a letter about the town and its close connection with the railway.”
Anyone who would like to donate suitable items for the time capsule should contact Tony – ideally with a photo of the item and any ‘back-story’ – to allow collection/storage and acknowledgement information can be documented: tonyford19@gmail.com
Collecting and documenting the artefacts for the time capsule is one of several events taking place on the South Fylde Line to mark Community Rail Week (May 22 to 26). Local artist Nicky Thompson, who designed a series of distinctive railway posters, will launch an exhibition of his artwork in the ‘Shifting Sands’ exhibition at stations along the South Fylde Line.
- For the latest updates on events on the South Fylde Line, visit: https://communityraillancashire.co.uk/lines/south-fylde-line/