A SCOUT group is making history by burying a time capsule underneath its hall for people in the future to find.

Jamie Barber, who was recently appointed Chair of the 8th Oxford Highfield Scout Group in Headington, came up with the idea during refurbishment work that is currently taking place at the site in Perrin Street.

He said it would be a good way to show people of the future what it was like in 2020, especially as the country still battles with the coronavirus pandemic.

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The 47-year-old said: “We thought that while taking up the old floor in the scout hall it is a nice opportunity to stick something underneath. We put the word out and we got Beavers, Cubs and Scouts all coming up with things to put inside a time capsule.”

Hand sanitiser, ‘Covid Stones’ - stones with positive messages on, face masks and a Government leaflet on coronavirus guidelines are some of the items included.

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The group also buried an edition of the Oxford Mail as well as a letter to people of the future, Scout history and badges along with a fidget spinner.

Mr Barber said: “I just thought it was something nice to do and hopefully people in the future will dig it up and see what life was like for us.”

The scout hall has been used for 110 years and it was originally a chapel built in 1870.

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The refurbishment work, costing £20,000, includes installing a new floor, electrics and some work on the roof.

It is hoped that the space will not just be used by Scouts but also by the community for events.

Mr Barber added: “Work on the hall is the first big thing on the list really since becoming the new Chair. The £20,000 refurbishment is to make it an even nicer place to do scouting.

"It will also be a better place to hire out for community events in the future providing us with a revenue stream as well because we are self-funded.”

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Beavers, Cubs and Scouts leaders have all been involved in helping Mr Barber put together the time capsule.

Susie Peddle, Anna Bishop, Lucy Cherry, Adam and Rebecca Whittaker-Robins and Elizabeth Tyndall have all helped out.

Treasurer of the 8th Oxford Highfield Scout Group, Mark Chambers, has also been working closely with leaders.

There are roughly 70-80 children who take part in activities and Mr Barber got involved when his eldest child, Lourie started Beavers back in 2017.

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He says the programme is a great way to keep children active, learn new skills and build friendships.

He said: “It gets them involved in activities that they might not be able to get involved in at school, both indoors and outdoors.

“It allows children to build relationships with others outside their family unit which is good.

“All types of kids can join, it’s not based on their socioeconomic background. We try to make it as open and inclusive as possible.”

Scouts participate in activities such as camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking, and sports.