YEAR six primary school pupils are working with a business on a special history project.

George Moss & Sons, which owns Moss Industrial Estate on St. Helens Road, has been run by the Moss family for five generations and will celebrate its centenary in 2020.

To mark the occasion, Lowton Junior and Infant School pupils are creating a special time capsule which will be buried on the industrial estate for future generations to discover.

Sebastian and Philip Moss, two generations of the Moss family, visited the children to tell them all about the industrial heritage of Leigh and how life in the town has changed over the last 100 years.

The year six pupils have been studying the industrial revolution and the impact it had on communities like Leigh and Lowton in the years following, such as mass unemployment from the mills and how businesses have had to adapt to cope with these changes.

The children spent almost two hours with the current owner of Moss Industrial Estate, Sebastian Moss, and his father Philip talking about what life was like for families back in 1920 and what the future may bring.

The children also discussed the different challenges that businesses have faced over the last 100 years, such as the World Wars and the impact of technology on the workforce.

The children are currently creating lots of exciting pieces of work and gathering items which show what life is like in Leigh today.

All of these items will be locked in a time capsule and buried deep underground on Moss Industrial Estate next year to mark its centenary.

READ > Agency appointed to design and develop exhibition space as part of Leigh Town Hall transformation

History lead at the Newton Road school Carol Anderson said: “We are super excited to be involved in this project with Moss Industrial Estate and the children have been thoroughly engaged with it.

"It has generated some really interesting conversations in class about what life was like in Leigh 100 years ago, as well as wondering what businesses will be like in the future.

“We are enjoying creating the contents for the time capsule and are looking forward to taking the children on to the industrial estate in the New Year to bury it for future generations to discover.”

Managing director at George Moss & Sons, Sebastian Moss, said: “This is a very exciting project and I am really proud to be here representing my family and the business which was started by my great great grandfather in 1920, during a very challenging period of history.

“A lot has changed in the last 100 years and I have no doubt that a lot will change again in the next 100 years.

"Through this project, and with the brilliant minds of the children from Lowton Junior and Infant School, we hope to capture what life is like here in Leigh today so that future generations of the community can discover it in the future.

“It’s a really lovely and very fitting way to mark our centenary and we are delighted to be working with different sectors of our local community on a variety of projects which will all be unveiled in 2020.”