Today we planted a time capsule with the help of Follifoot Church of England Primary School, marking 50 years since the Mackaness Family bought Rudding Park. The capsule was planted alongside a time capsule planted in 1997 to mark the 25th anniversary of the family’s ownership of Rudding Park. Replicating the format from 1997, school children from Years 1-6 at Follifoot C of E Primary School were invited to enter a competition to create a piece of artwork which depicted a winters’ day in Follifoot.

The winning entries would be included in the time capsule, and this time round, the winners would also be invited to private cinema and pizza party. Seven winners; William, Imogen, Alex, Florence, Olive, Florence and Beatrice were selected, and came along to see the time capsule being planted.

Simon Mackaness, owner of Rudding Park said “As a local business, we recognise the importance of reaching out to our local community. Children at the school helped us plant our first time capsule in 1997 and we made a promise to invite the next generation of school children to help us mark the next 25 years, so to see that come to fruition is quite something! The children created some fantastic entries and it was very difficult to make a decision, however were delighted to welcome the winners to help us plant the time capsule today.”

Winning entries were placed inside the capsule along with a number of Rudding Park branded items to reflect the times including; a face covering, Christmas bauble, medal from the inaugural Rudding ParkRace 10K, silk scarf work by the Reception team and a copy of the Rudding Review – a newspaper with an overview of 2022.

Rebecca Holland, Head Teacher at Follifoot Church of England Primary School said “We are extremely lucky to have Rudding Park on our door step. They have generously supported the school with numerous fundraising activities over the years, so to be approached to involve the children one again in such an important milestone was an absolute thrill. We look forward to continuing our relationship and hope to be invited to plant a third time capsule marking their 75th anniversary!”

Story Published 23 January 2023