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As buried treasure goes, it is just loose change. But, one day, this £1 coin could be worth a small fortune to the people of Aldershot.
It represents the agreed price of purchasing the £30m Aldershot Centre for Health from developer The Wilky Group, after the lease expires in 2038.
In a light-hearted example of long-term financial planning, Hampshire Primary Care Trust and Ministry of Defence officials ensured their successors would have the money to hand when the time comes, by burying the coin in a time capsule at the Hospital Hill site.
Lead contractors Alfred McAlpine Plc recorded the precise location of the capsule with Global Positioning Satellite surveying equipment.
The newly minted coin, dated 2007, was the last item to be added to the lead capsule before it was sealed by West London Training Ltd, local providers of plumbing courses. The other contents reflect how the community chose to illustrate the theme of ‘Keeping healthy in Aldershot’.
Poems, songs, paintings, jokes, poster, t-shirts, a diary, menu and 3D designs were provided by students from South Farnborough, Talavera and Marlborough Infant Schools and Beaumont and Park Primary Schools.
Wilky director Colin Moore said: “We wanted to provide a ‘snapshot in time’ as a legacy for a future generation. It is fascinating to wonder if some of those youngsters whose work is in the capsule will return with their own children when it is reopened in 30 years time.”
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Photo caption: Burying the Aldershot Centre for Health time capsule: from left, Rob Kremis, regional director of Alfred McAlpine Plc, Col. Marty Slade, Army primary health care regional director, Catherine Webster, Hampshire PCT's project manager and Colin Moore a director of The Wilky Group.
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