Borough of Scarborough to welcome Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton Relay
It'll visit a number of villages and towns on Wednesday 13th July
Next week will see the eagerly anticipated arrival of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay in the borough of Scarborough.
On Wednesday 13th July, the Queen’s Baton Relay will visit Scarborough, Fylingthorpe, Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby during its 25-day tour of England in the final countdown to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Queen’s Baton boasts a 360 degrees camera, LED lighting, heartrate sensor, Queen’s message compartment and atmospheric sensors with laser technology that analyse the environmental conditions wherever it is in the world. It is made of copper, aluminium and brass with a platinum strand woven through it, which pays homage to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in her Platinum Jubilee year.
It will be carried by 27 Batonbearers of varying ages through the borough, starting in Scarborough South Bay.
At 3.47pm the Baton will be handed to the first Batonbearer at the southern end of Foreshore Road. The Queen’s Baton Relay will head along Foreshore Road, Sandside, Marine Drive, Royal Albert Drive and the North Bay promenade via a succession of Batonbearers who will run or walk with the Baton.
After a short pause outside the beach huts for photographs, the Baton will be transferred to the vehicle convoy for its journey north.
The Baton’s next stop will be the village of Fylingthorpe. It will arrive at Fylingdales C of E Primary School at 5.14pm for a ten minutes visit so that the school children have the opportunity to get up close to the Baton.
At 5.24pm, Batonbearers will progress the Queen’s Baton Relay along Thorpe Lane into Robin Hood’s Bay. They will continue down Station Road and the steep incline of New Road until the Baton reaches the shoreline.
A handover to the RNLI inshore lifeboat will take place at 5.40pm. 21-year-old Batonbearer and Whitby RNLI crew member, Andrew Brighton, will take the precious cargo to the RNLI all-weather lifeboat for its journey, by sea, to Whitby.
At 6.38pm the Baton will disembark from the lifeboat onto dry land at the RNLI Whitby Lifeboat Station. Andrew Brighton will pass the Baton to the next Batonbearer who will take it up to Whitby Abbey via Church Street, Church Lane and the 199 steps.
The Baton will be taken into the grounds of the abbey at 6.45pm for an open public celebration to mark’s the Baton’s visit to Whitby.
The abbey will be open to all for the celebration and English Heritage is offering free entry for Whitby residents (proof of address will be required).
From 6.45pm to 7.15pm, the Baton will be on show for people to see it and photograph it or take selfies. People will also be able to take part in archery with the Whitby Company of Archers, and other activities within the abbey grounds.
At 7.15pm, it will be time for the Baton to take to the skies. It will be transferred to a HM Coastguard Sikorsky S92 helicopter to continue its onward journey out of the borough to Sedgefield.
Councillor Jim Grieve, Scarborough Borough Council cabinet member for quality of life said:
“It will be a privilege to welcome the eye-catching Queen’s Baton and inspirational Batonbearers to the borough.
“I hope it will inspire people to come together to mark the countdown to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and continue Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.”
Matt Hewison, Scarborough Borough Council sports development manager, said:
“We are proud of our work with our local partners and the organisers of the Queen’s Baton Relay to put in place a journey via land, sea and air with fantastic views of the North Yorkshire coast.
“I encourage people to head out to the route on 13 July, see the stunning Baton for themselves and cheer on the Batonbearers as they play their part in the 2,500-mile Queen’s Baton Relay around England.”