Preston Guild time capsule design unveiled

The capsule (in green) will include artefacts from this year's Guild festival

The design of a time capsule to be buried beneath Preston's Flag Market has been unveiled by the city's mayor.

The Guild Time Capsule is being put together to mark this year's Guild festival - which only takes place once every 20 years.

A public appeal for artefacts, records and mementos from the Guild to put inside will be launched next year.

The capsule has been designed by a design student from the University of Central Lancashire (Uclan).

Mark Newton's design is inspired by Preston bus station and will be made from titanium, measuring about 4ft (1.2m) long and 1ft (0.5m) wide.

'Fantastic year'

It will be dug up at a special ceremony to the mark the beginning of Preston Guild 2032.

Professor Rod Dubrow-Marshall, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Uclan and chair of the board of the new Guild Link Charity, which is supporting the creation and burial of the time capsule, said: "The Guild Time Capsule carries inside it the memories and creativity of this generation as we look ahead to the next Guild.

"The Capsule will tell all who are here in 2032 what Preston Guild 2012 meant to us and why we were so proud of it and of our City back in 2012."

Guild Mayor Carl Crompton said: "This year has been absolutely fantastic for the city and one we can all be proud of.

"I am pleased that we are going to save some important pieces for the next Guild in 2032 and I would like to thank the students from Uclan who have done an excellent job designing the time capsule, which is fitting because of the large part that the university and its students played in making the Guild such a huge success."

The Preston Guild dates back to 1179 when King Henry II granted the town the right to have a Guild Merchant and gave the town its first royal charter.

This year's 10-day festival began on 31 August and included events such as street theatre, musical performances and a city procession.