Queen's Baton Relay passes through Tayside

It will be in Dundee and Kirriemuir after making its first Scottish stop in Glasgow, which hosted the last Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Published 24th Aug 2017
Last updated 24th Aug 2017

The Queen's Baton Relay will stop in Tayside as it tours the globe ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games in Australia.

It will be in Dundee and Kirriemuir on Thursday, 24 August, after making its first Scottish stop in Glasgow, which hosted the last Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Tay News spoke to Andrea Cameron, who was a baton-bearer the last time it passed through the region three years ago.

It is making a 142,915-mile (230,000km) journey over 388 days ahead of the Gold Coast 2018 event, travelling through Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

The baton, which left Buckingham Palace in March carrying a message from the Queen, will arrive in Australia in December and travel through the country, finishing its journey at the Opening Ceremony on April 4.

Michael Jamieson, Olympic and Commonwealth silver medallist in swimming, was the first baton bearer as the relay arrived in Glasgow.

He was accompanied by Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, and Jon Doig, chief executive of Commonwealth Games Scotland.

Accepting the baton on behalf of Scotland, Mr Doig said: "The Queen's Baton Relay is the iconic symbol of the Commonwealth Games and we are delighted to welcome the Gold Coast 2018 Baton to Scotland today.

"We have had tremendous enthusiasm and support from local authorities, schools and community groups across the country, helping to organise an exciting programme of events, using the QBR to connect their communities with the Games and embrace the values of the Commonwealth movement as a whole.

"The public support Team Scotland enjoyed for Glasgow 2014 was phenomenal and I look forward to seeing that passion sparked once again, as the baton journeys through Scotland this week.''

The baton will spend five days in Scotland.

Designed for each Games by the host nation, the 2018 Queen's Baton has a distinctive loop design and has been made using macadamia wood and reclaimed plastic, sourced from Gold Coast waterways