Sunderland church calls for coronavirus stories for time capsule

An apprentice found the sealed box tucked away under the roof tiles during renovation work

A time capsule has been found during a £4.3m renovation of a Grade I-listed church in Sunderland.

A small box containing a newspaper from 16 June 1989 was hidden in the timbers in the roof at Holy Trinity Church.

Discovered by an apprentice carrying out the roof repairs, it is believed it might have been put there by contractors during previous repairs.

Now the church is appealing for stories about how life has been affected in lockdown to create their own capsule.

The only item in the time capsule was a newspaper in from 16 June 1989

Site supervisor Simon Hill, said: "We do sometimes find these little glimpses into the past; we found names written into the timber of the Lady Chapel from when it was built in 1939 and initials dating to 1880 near one of the windows.

"It really links you to the people who worked on the building in the past, connects you with those past tradesmen who took such pride in their work that they'd leave their marks in this way.

"It will be great to include a 2020 time capsule, and to wonder about who might discover it in future."

The church would like to hear stories from local heroes, scientists, those who have taught themselves a new skill, stories about your family and neighbours - the photos, sound recordings and videos will be stored digitally until May 2022 as a way to learn about the pandemic.

Seventeen Nineteen is expected to open in the autumn, with a range of uses for visitors to learn more about the origins of Sunderland

Built in 1791, Holy Trinity Church was once at the heart of the community, but over the years people moved out of the area and in 1988 it was decommissioned.

Cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust, the building is being transformed into community venue Seventeen Nineteen.