A group of volunteers from the Severn Valley Railway paid their own personal tribute to His Majesty King Charles III on bank holiday Monday, 8th May, by burying a time capsule in the orchard at the railway’s Bewdley station.

The metal capsule was specially designed for the occasion and contains a variety of items to commemorate the day.

Among the items chosen for inclusion in the time capsule are photographs of the station staff on duty on Coronation Day, the locomotives in service, a guard’s whistle, a lump of coal, and newspaper cuttings from Coronation Day.

Also contained in the time capsule were Guide and Scout badges from Wribbenhall Guides and Bewdley Scouts Groups, and artwork contributed by Bewdley Primary School and St Anne’s CE Primary School from Wyre Hill in Bewdley.

Among those attending the ceremony were the Mayor and Mayoress of Bewdley, Rod and Lynn Stanczyszyn, as well as the Severn Valley Railway’s managing director, Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster.

Susan Wassall, the volunteer assistant manager of the station shop at Bewdley, said “The idea came about when a few of us were talking about what we could do as a group to commemorate the Coronation.

“It’s something that can live there for years, and in the future, someone will dig it up and see what the station was like, who was there, and that we were all coming together to celebrate this historic event.

“Many of us weren’t even born when the last Coronation happened, so this represents a very special moment for us.

“We’re asking future generations to leave the capsule in place either until Prince George’s coronation as King or 100 years, whichever comes first. We hope they’ll feel a connection with the past when they finally do unearth it, and there’ll be a commemorative plaque above ground, just to make sure it’s not forgotten!”