Queen's Baton returns home for Jubilee visit month before Commonwealth Games
The Queen's Baton Relay has touched down on home soil for a visit less than two months before the start of the Commonwealth Games.
The baton was taken on a four-day tour around sites in London as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend, visiting famous landmarks, engaging with communities at celebrations and local events and visiting grassroots sport clubs.
On Thursday, the baton arrived at Battersea Power Station as part of a celebration event and, on Saturday, was taken to key landmarks including Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Greenwich Royal Naval College, Shakespeare’s Globe and the London Eye.
The Relay continued from Blackfriars Pier, with the Baton passing St Paul’s Cathedral and arrived at Paternoster Square, next to St Paul’s Cathedral, for a reception.
On Sunday, the baton was taken across the London Olympic Park, visiting every venue used in the 2012 Olympics, including the Velodrome where the Commonwealth Games Track Cycling will take place, before visiting the Royal Docks and ending its journey at Victoria Gardens.
It also visited Brinsworth House in Twickenham, the Longines boutique on Oxford Street and the Tower of London.
Ian Reid, Chief Executive of Birmingham 2022, said: "It doesn’t seem long ago when we gathered at Buckingham Palace to witness the Queen placing her Message inside the Baton, signifying the launch of this special journey.
"Since October, the Baton has visited 62 out of the 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth, engaging with communities at every step.
"The return of the Baton to England is a huge milestone and it all comes together as we countdown to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, now less than 70 days away.”
Following the visit to London, the Queen’s Baton Relay will resume the international journey, heading to the Falkland Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The Baton will return to England on 4 July for a 25-day tour of the country, 11 of which will be based in the West Midlands, building excitement and buzz amongst communities during the final countdown to the Games.
For more information on the Queen’s Baton Relay, go to birmingham2022.com/qbr
