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'Seeing mam's writing in capsule made me smile'

News imageKeith Nesbitt Two image side by side. The one on the left is of a glass jar underneath the floorboards. It has a label with some fruit on and a rolled up piece of paper is inside. On the right is the letter. It reads: "25th November, 2000, 6.00 pm Wendy Little and John Little Daughter Kirsty age 7 yrs & son Callum age 4 yrs Lifted the carpet, found loose board and thought we would leave whoever finds this a message." Below the original message, the note Nesbitt reads: "Found and returned 6/1/26 NE2" followed by some names which are hard to make out.Keith Nesbitt
The time capsule was discovered on Tuesday when Keith Nesbitt was rewiring a house

A man has said seeing his late mother's handwriting on a note inside a time capsule jar made him emotional.

The Little family buried the time capsule under the floorboards in their Gateshead home in 2000 where it remained until it was found on Tuesday.

Callum Little, 29, who signed the note alongside sister Kirsty and parents Wendy and John, said seeing the handwriting of his mother, who died in 2016, put a smile on his face.

Keith Nesbitt, who found the jar while rewiring the home in Whickham, posted the discovery on social media to try and find the family - before realising he went to school with Wendy.

John Little lived in the house until he died in 2024 and the family home was sold.

Callum Little, who now lives in Derby, said he had not expected to see the time capsule again nearly 26 years later when he was tagged in the post on Facebook.

"I was taken aback by it, but at the same time it put a huge smile on my face just to see my mam's handwriting and the fact that the post was getting so much recognition from people in Whickham," Little said.

News imageSupplied John and Wendy Little smiling at the camera with their children Callum and Kirsty. Callum has short blonde hair and is held by Wendy, who has curly brown hair with fringe and wears a top with a geometrical print. Kirsty is next to them. She wears a pink t-shirt and has long blonde hair and a fringe. John has short brown hair and wears a white shirt with small grey squares. Supplied
The Little family placed the jar under the floor boards in November 2000

The family moved into the house in October 1994 and placed the time capsule under a loose floorboard they found on 25 November 2000 while redecorating the home.

"They thought it would be nice to leave a little time capsule for the next person to find," Little said.

The note, written by Wendy Little, reads:

"25th November, 2000, 6.00 pm

"Wendy Little and John Little

"Daughter Kirsty age 7 yrs & son Callum age 4 yrs

"Lifted the carpet, found loose board and thought we would leave whoever finds this a message."

Little said: "I've not got much to remember her by to be honest, so yeah, just to see her handwriting just made me so happy, but at the same time I was so taken aback by it."

He added when he went back to work after seeing the post he could "hardly concentrate".

After finding the message, Nesbitt signed it and put it back under the board for the next person to find.

Little said he now planned to put a time capsule in the next home he bought to continue the tradition.

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