Children mark new Royton development by offering a glimpse of 2019

Local children have created their own piece of history to mark the completion of a new housing development.

Pupils at Thorp Road Primary School in Royton buried special project work in a time capsule to commemorate the completion of much needed new homes near to their school.

First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) and its development arm Fabric Living have finished work on 28 new properties on Thorp Road that are available through a mix of Shared Ownership, Rent to Buy and Affordable Rent.

The homes have provided local families, including some of those with children at the school, the opportunity to take a first step on the housing ladder.

All the new homes are now either occupied or reserved, with pupils deciding a time capsule was a great way to celebrate their completion.

Royton Councillor Hannah Roberts attended the ceremony, along with Thorp Road Primary School head Miss Bowers, teacher Miss Wood, and nine students from the school's Eco Club.

The event saw the children bury information about the work they do to improve the environment in their Eco Club, interviews with their teachers about their lives, pictures of toys they currently play with, a school jumper and some creative models and artworks showing their ideas of ‘schools of the future.’

The capsule was buried in the middle of the new homes in a newly landscaped area.

Jamie Smith, Project Manager for First Choice Homes Oldham, was delighted with the hard work put in by the school children.

He said: “I am really grateful to all the children and teachers at Thorp Road Primary who worked so hard to produce such interesting and attractive information to place in the capsule.

“It will give future generations a real insight into what life was like when these houses were built and show the type of work undertaken by local school children.

"It's also great to hear that some of the families with children at Thorp Road school are moving into the new homes.

“The development has given many local people the chance to purchase a new home for the first time.”

Councillor Roberts added: "The children have clearly worked very hard to prepare their information for the time capsule.

"It is amazing that they are trying to think about what things will be like in the future.

"Life is changing so much."

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