Commonwealth Games Baton Relay to visit west country
It will travel all around our region on Tuesday 5 July
Our region will get a taste of the Commonwealth Games this summer.
The Queen's Baton Relay, which is similar to the torch relay for the Olympics, will visit Bath, Bristol and Devizes on Tuesday the 5th of July.
It will also pass through Easter Compton, Hereford, Gloucester and Cheltenham on the same day.
In all the relay will visit 180 different communities in England in the build up to the Games, on a route spanning 2,500 miles.
The journey across the country will last for 29 days, before finishing at the Opening Ceremony of Birmingham 2022 on 28 July.
It has already been travelling around the other nations of the Commonwealth.
Ian Reid, Chief Executive of Birmingham 2022, said: “Whilst the Baton has been travelling across the Commonwealth, we have worked closely with Local Authorities in England to devise a route that engages with hundreds of communities, passing sport venues, historic sites, local schools and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
"Yet the Queen’s Baton Relay is far more than just a journey.
"It symbolises connecting people from every corner of the Commonwealth, celebrates Batonbearers who take on challenges, and marks the countdown to the biggest sporting event in West Midlands history.
"And by the time the Baton returns to England for the final leg, 71 nations and territories will have already experienced the magic that comes with it."
Unlike the Olympic torch relay for the Olympic Games, which sees torchbearers carry a flame from Olympia in Greece to the host city, the baton relay for the Commonwealth Games sees the "batonbearers" carry a message written by the Queen, which Her Majesty will read out to the whole Commonwealth at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.
On Tuesday 5 July the relay will restart in Devizes at 8:05am in the town's Market Square.
At 8:15am it will then travel by canal boat and tow path towards Caen Hill Locks.
At 9:30am it will then arrive at the Royal Crescent in Bath, where it will also travel to the Roman Baths, before moving onto Bristol.
In Bristol the relay will visit a charity boxing gym called Empire Fighting Chance, before meeting local school children in St Agnes Park.
It will then move onto Easter Compton on the outskirts of Bristol and visit The Wave artificial surfing lake, before heading up the M5 towards Cheltenham, Gloucester and Hereford.
Commonwealth Games Federation President, Dame Louise Martin, said: “The Queen’s Baton Relay symbolises hope, solidarity and collaboration across the Commonwealth at a time when it is needed most.
"It continues to inspire people wherever it goes and creates huge excitement for Birmingham 2022 as it journeys towards the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony on July 28.”