Time Capsule Unveiled at Friarage Surgical Centre

Friarage staff, along with members of Northallerton's Men’s Shed and MP for Richmond and Northallerton, Rishi Sunak, gathered at the Friarage on Friday 2nd January for the unveiling of a time capsule celebrating the new Friarage Surgical Centre at the hospital's site.

Aided by Friends of the Friarage, the capsule was created and built by the Men’s Shed, and is a small, cottage-style house which reflects the Friarage's humble beginnings – in contrast to the hospital we know today and the contemporary, state-of-the-art surgical centre, which opened in July last year.

The house, which features stained glass windows, even includes solar panels which power lights inside it in the dark. Concealed inside is the brick signed by Rishi during a visit to the site in March 2024 while the centre was under construction. The house sits on a wooden stand which bears the wording:

TIME CAPSULE - Sealed on the 11th July 2025 to mark the opening of the Friarage Surgical Centre - a snapshot of today for the people of tomorrow. Dedicated to all the staff - your skill, compassion and teamwork, made this more than a building - Together we built a surgical hub to put patients first.

Dave Puttock from Men’s Shed, explained how they wanted the time capsule to stand tall so that people would be able to view it easily from the hospital Dave explained how various members of the Men’s Shed had used their different skills working on the different elements, from the stained glass to the wooden stand with wording and the electronics inside.

Associate Director of Nursing, Sarah Baker, thanked the Men’s Shed for their work on the beautiful piece of art before inviting Rishi - who played an important role in ensuring the Friarage became one of the 50 plus surgical hubs across the country - to unveil the capsule. Speaking to the staff, Rishi told them,

"It is right that we commemorate everything that was here and everything that's going to be here. This not only honours the memories that you've contributed to over so many decades, in many people's cases, but also means that we can start to celebrate the new memories that all of you are going to make here. The reaction to the surgical centre has been great; the patients are loving it and I'm so happy to hear that the staff are loving it too because you deserve it. You put your heart and soul into looking after people in our community and hopefully now you have a place that befits the effort you put in. I'm personally over the moon for all of you and now we have a special memory for all of us to be able to walk past and celebrate."

Friends of the Friarage are dedicated to enhancing staff, patient and visitors' experience and wellbeing at the Friarage and are delighted to have been able to fund this special piece of the hospital's rich and varied history.