Time capsule captures life during pandemic

Museum staff have worked with the Youth Empowerment and Resilience (YEAR) Project and Friends of Coleraine Museum, as well as members of Ballymoney u3a to gather significant objects and photographs which document the impact of the health crisis on communities across the Borough.

Through conversations and an exploration of the Museum Services ‘Dear Diary’ collection, items selected for the capsule include a mask, an unused lateral flow test, and posters with social distance guidelines. Also included are an example of a visor produced by the Years group during lockdown to help with the PPE shortage.

The time capsule also features photographs, including an eerily empty Portstewart Promenade over Easter Weekend 2020.

Explaining more, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Richard Holmes, said: “Every item includes information to explain its significance, helping to explore different perspectives about how our communities lived through this global emergency. The capsule will provide a unique record of this time, and I would like to thank all of those who took part and shared their experiences with us.”

The time capsule is currently being held at Coleraine Museum and will be reopened in 2046.

Launched in 2020, the Museum Service’s Dear Diary project documents the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our daily lives by recording personal stories and experiences to create a publicly accessible archive.

To find out more about the time capsule or the ‘Dear Diary’ collection contact Museum services at [email protected] or telephone 028 2766 0230.