Commonwealth Games baton to visit Wigan as part of relay

It will arrive at Haigh Hall on Sunday, July 17 as part of its journey taking in 180 towns, cities and villages up and down England.

The home leg starts in London and finishes in the West Midlands, signalling the symbolic start of the final countdown to the sporting contest.

It will have taken 294 days and trips to each of the 72 nations that make up the Commonwealth by the time the final mile has been completed at the end of July.

Thousands of so-called Batonbearers will be taking turns along the journey – between 40 and 130 each day of the route – through England.

Leader of Wigan Council, Coun David Molyneux, said: “We are delighted that the Queen’s Baton will be visiting Haigh Hall this summer as part of the Queen’s Baton Relay.

“Across the country thousands of Batonbearers, each with inspiring backgrounds and stories, will have the honour of carrying the Baton and we can’t wait to see how our residents get involved and embrace the celebrations.

“The Baton Relay will span over 2,500 miles and it’s absolutely brilliant that our borough will play a part in this journey – the celebrations will add to an already impressive array of events planned this summer which are well and truly putting Wigan borough on the map.”

On June 2, the baton – which contains a message from the Queen to be read aloud at the Games’ opening ceremony – makes an early landfall in England, spending five days in London, coinciding with the monarch’s 70th year on the throne.

It will then be taken to the Falkland Islands, before going to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and then tours of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Returning to England on July 4, there will be a 25-day tour of the nation signalling the last stage of its global travel programme.

The route will take the baton from coasts to cities, with the expectation it will attract crowds as it passes through communities, with special events held to coincide with the occasion.

The relay concludes at the 17th-century Grade I-listed manor of Aston Hall in Birmingham on July 28 – the day of the opening ceremony.

Phil Batty, director of ceremonies, culture and Queen’s Baton Relay, said a lot of work had gone into planning the route, adding 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 the West Midlands’ history”.

Dame Louise Martin, Commonwealth Games Federation president, said: “The Queen’s Baton Relay symbolises hope, solidarity and collaboration across the Commonwealth at a time when it is needed most.”

Nigel Huddleston, minister for the Commonwealth Games, said: “The 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay is coming home.

“Travelling the length and breadth of England, the baton will bring the excitement of the games to every region of the country.

“The relay marks the final countdown to the biggest sporting event to be held in the UK since London 2012, and I hope people come together and line their streets to celebrate this historic moment.”