Time capsule from 2002 found in Arthur Vick kitchen

A time capsule created nearly ten years ago has been discovered in an Arthur Vick (AV) kitchen.

The tin box from 2002 was discovered by second-year Maths student David Scrutton down the back of a cupboard in AV3’s kitchen.

The two students who created the capsule signed themselves as Jack and Pete C in the enclosed note.

Inside they included chewing gum, two spoons, a small packet of corn flakes and a £5 phone voucher for AV (which expired in 2003).

The tin also contained uncooked rice and pasta and a tin of John West tuna, for which a recipe was described in the note.

“The capsule had fallen right down the back and underneath my cupboard,” explained Scrutton, “that’s why it wasn’t found until now.

“I only looked down there because I had dropped something. I originally thought it was a tin of mouldy biscuits. I was quite surprised when we opened it.”

The enclosed note gives advice on how to survive first year, including making friends with third years for course advice, avoiding Rugby players, joining Ice Hockey and avoiding leaving the gas on.

‘Jack’ and ‘Pete’ also suggested that it is cheaper to get clamped than to pay for car parking at the University.

Also included in the capsule were a few pages of The Independent from June 2002. Headlines included fears that Prime Minister Tony Blair was creating a “two-tier NHS” and tennis player Tim Henman’s success in the rounds of that year’s Wimbledon.

First-year students Helen Gallico, studying English and Italian, and Jonathan Filar, a History student, were also present when the discovery was made.

Gallico said she was “really excited” when they found the capsule, but Filar said he is “more concerned about how clean the kitchen is”.

The students have said they would now like to create their own time capsule. “I’d like to the take the pasta and stuff out, take a picture of what’s in there and then perhaps add our own things,” said Gallico.

‘Jack’ and ‘Pete’ did leave a contact e-mail address which seems to have been deactivated. The pair are thought to now be at least 28 or 29 years old.