Forth Valley College mark Falkirk campus opening with time capsule

To mark the official opening of the new Falkirk campus – planned for April this year – a time capsule will be buried in the grounds.

The cylinder will contain memorabilia, tokens, photographs, publications and artwork from the present day which will give future students, staff and local residents a taste of what life was like in 2020, as well as details of the college’s history.

Readers are being asked to come up with suggestions of what items should be included and the best one chosen will be added to the contents list, along with a copy of The Falkirk Herald.

Dr Ken Thomson, Forth Valley College’s principal, said: “This is an opportunity for one lucky Falkirk Herald reader to become an important part of the local history of the college and come up with a time capsule idea which will give a snapshot of the

college’s history in decades to come.

“We feel we have amassed a comprehensive list of articles to go into the time capsule, but through The Falkirk Herald which has

always been a foundation stone of the town, we hope to include one final important artefact. We hope you can help.”

Jill Buchanan, editor of The Falkirk Herald, said: “The new Forth Valley College Falkirk campus is a much-valued education establishment for the area and will be for many years to come.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to be involved in the official opening day ceremony and have a copy of the paper included in the time capsule. It will be interesting to see what suggestions our readers come up with – will it be a can of Irn-Bru, photograph of one of our landmarks such as 
Callendar House or the Kelpies, or perhaps a Falkirk FC scarf?”

Please send your suggestions to [email protected] and include your contact details.

The £78 million campus opened to students on January 13 after a two year construction project.

Adjacent to the old building from which it operated for more than half a century, the campus offers a 21st century learning environment for 2000 full-time students and 450 staff.

It also serves as the headquarters for the college which has already spent £50 million on replacing its facilities in Stirling and Alloa over the last nine years.