A TIME capsule was buried in the walls of a new sports hall when pupils, staff and former teachers celebrated the completion of the roof.

The topping-out ceremony was held to mark the milestone for a £1.8million building at Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School, which is due to be completed by August.

The school, in St Michael’s Road, has never had a sports hall, and the new facility is the size of four badminton courts.

The hall was the idea of retired head of PE Mike Woolf and former head teacher Michael Whitty.

Both were at the ceremony to see their dream become a reality, after current head teacher Tony Corish took the project forward after securing funding from the Diocese of Portsmouth.

Mr Corish said: “This isn’t just my work, but the work of my predecessors as well. It’s a fantastic facility and it’s going to be wonderful when we are in there using it.

“I hope the local community will also benefit from this. It’s a great milestone and a great relief because we thought this would never come.”

Head of PE Chris Sheers, who took over from Mr Woolf when he left in September after 34 years at the school, said: “It’s going to mean so much to the pupils and bring a range of activities they can’t do at the moment.”

The time capsule contained modern music and photographs chosen by pupils.

Dave Cook, regional director of project contractor Leadbitter, presented Mr Corish with an engraved trowel at the ceremony.