Coronavirus time capsule presented to council leader

A coronavirus time capsule put together by young people from across Caerphilly County Borough has been presented to leader of the council.

The time capsule was presented to Councillor Philippa Marsden by Lottie Davies, who is the chair of the Caerphilly Youth Forum.

The time capsule will be kept on display at Caerphilly County Borough Council’s headquarters in Tredomen until the year 2040, when it will be opened to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the pandemic.

Last summer, the Youth Forum appealed for young people to come forward with items such as letters, postcards, diary entries, poems, drawings, arts and crafts, photos and even memes, to include in the capsule.

Youth Forum chair Lottie, who is a pupil at Islwyn High School, said: “Making a Covid-19 time capsule will allow us to look back on the tough time we have all been through and a reminder of our resilience as a community.”

When the pandemic began taking a foothold in Wales in March 2020, The Youth Forum moved its meetings online.

While using video conferencing apps to stay in touch, the Youth Forum held meetings with First Minister Mark Drakeford and the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland.

Cllr Marsden described the Youth Forum as “young innovators”.

She said: “They were set up in a virtual forum almost immediately and were looking at new ways of communicating and ensuring the voices of young people were represented at the highest level.

“I am incredibly proud of their achievements.”

Cllr Marsden added: “The time capsule is a fantastic idea and it is my pleasure to place it in the wall of Penallta House chamber as a reminder of how young people demonstrated such strength of character and determination to overcome the many difficulties the pandemic brought.”