THE man behind the building of a new academy in Swindon has been honoured by having a time capsule buried in celebration of his retirement.

John Swaiston, the chief executive of the Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust, will retire next week and in his honour the capsule was buried at the the soon-to-open Deanery CE Academy in West Leaze.

Asked how he felt about being honoured, John said: “The whole project is amazing.

"This is a real opportunity to build a school that is outstanding in academia, science or the arts, providing people with a rich educational experience and I’m very happy to have been apart of that.”

On retirement, he said: “I’m excited about it. I’ve been working for the last 47 years so I’m looking forward to enjoying my summers and spending time with my family.”

Principal of the school Linda Culling led the tributes to John saying: “The Deanery was his brainchild.

"He birthed this project, so we wanted him to have a lasting memory to be associated with the building by planting a time capsule.

“In the capsule we have put a school tie, our prospectus, the front page of today's Swindon Advertiser, because we really wanted to mark that this is a moment in time. This time capsule is built to last for 200 years so if the paper survives we hope that people will read the local news from today.

“We’re also putting in a copy of the Church of England vision of education and a wooden cross, in memory of John.

Also paying tribute was Alan Hamer, project manager from the Department of Education.

He said: “It’s a special occasion not just for John but for me as well because years ago I helped set up his first school so it’s come full circle.

“I’m very grateful to be involved. It’s a celebration for the trust and a perfect legacy for John to leave behind as he goes on to the world of retirement."

Asked what he thought of the school Alan said: “I’m delighted with it. It’s a really exciting building.

"We’re very lucky because we’ve been given additional funding from the local authority, which has allowed us to build and enhance this space for the local community.

“It's a humbling day. He’s worked so hard from his initial vision for the schools, to starting DBAT to then seeing this building to near completion, I wish him the very best.”

The Deanery will open in August and features state-of-the-art sport facilities as well as a 450-seat theatre.

DBAT was founded in 2012 and since then John and the trust have set up 11 primary academies.