The Commonwealth Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in Merseyside next week, with two Olympians, a Special Olympics champion and a number of community heroes set to take part.
On Sunday, July 17 and Monday, July 18, Knowsley and Liverpool will welcome the relay, which aims to bring together communities during the build up to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The Games start with the Opening Ceremony on July 28.
The baton is made from copper, aluminium and steel and features a platinum strand in homage to The Queen in her Platinum Jubilee year. It is also equipped with cutting-edge technology; 360-degree camera, heart rate monitor, atmospheric sensors and LED lighting.
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There will be a range of Batonbearers helping the Baton travel through Liverpool and Knowsley, with a number of events planned to celebrate the occasion. The Baton will begin its Merseyside journey at 5pm on Sunday in Knowsley, with a festival of sports, dance, music and performance in a celebration of community pride.
Liverpool’s leg of the event will kick off from 8am on Monday, with former Olympic gymnast, Commonwealth title holder and three-times World Champion Beth Tweddle. The event will start at the Pier Head, near the Beatles statue.
Below we’ve taken a look at where you’ll be able to see the Baton throughout July 17 and 18 - and who will be carrying it.
Commonwealth Baton Relay in Knowsley
At 5pm on Sunday, July 17, the Baton will be met at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park where the Batonbearers will be welcomed by a troupe of more than 100 Girl Guides from across Merseyside who will form a guard of honour as they make their way into the park.
Local running group, Running Bugs will then guide the Baton and Batonbearer to the Velodrome via a live bootcamp training session with Volair Gym members. At the Velodrome the Baton will be passed to cyclists from Runcorn Cycling Club and Liverpool Century Cycling Club who will take the Baton on a lap of the Velodrome before the Knowsley BMX Club perform a skills demonstration for the crowds and Baton bearers alike.
The Baton will then travel to Knowsley Safari in convoy where the relay will travel around the Foot Safari, with the runners passing by the giraffes and through the Tiger Trail. Knowsley Safari will be offering free entry to its Foot Safari to visitors arriving between 4.30pm – 5.30pm on July 17 to enjoy the Baton Relay.
From the Safari, the Batonbearers will travel into Prescot, via Warrington Road and will travel down Eccleston Street to the newly opened Shakespeare North Playhouse. From around 6.15pm, before the Baton’s arrival in the town centre, people will be able to enjoy the start of the Baton Relay’s ‘End of Day’ celebration.
When the Baton arrives at Shakespeare North Playhouse it will take a trip inside the new theatre space and visit The Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden where the Batonbearer will be greeted by a signing choir. The Baton convoy will then travel out to Prospero Place and the day will conclude with a world-first performance of ‘A Song for Prescot’, a song created exclusively for the event, by pupils from Evelyn Community Primary School.
The bells of Prescot Parish Church will be rung to signify the end of the relay as the Batonbearers depart.
Commonwealth Baton Relay in Liverpool
Liverpool Batonbearers
Beth Tweddle
Tom Bosworth
Shauna Hogan
Bridget Griffin
Danny De Brabander
Fiona Hanik
Sarah Kearney
Rainbow Mbuangi
After Beth Tweddle kicks off the Liverpool leg at the Pier Head, each Batonbearer will travel on foot through the Albert Dock towards Keel Wharf. From Keel Wharf, a short car journey will take the remaining Batonbearers to Princes Avenue where it will be carried along the avenue, to Princes Park where a number of school children will welcome them.
What happens next?
Once the Baton has finished its Merseyside leg, it will then leave for its next location – Newcastle-under-Lyme.
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