Loughborough was honoured to welcome the Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton Relay to Loughborough on Monday July 11, 2022.
The Queen’s Baton makes an epic journey across the Commonwealth visiting all 72 nations and territories and came to Loughborough as part of it's 29 day tour of England.
Hundreds of residents lined the relay route through Queen's Park and the Market Place to celebrate the Baton and the inspirational Batonbearers who carried the Baton through the town centre.
Batonbearers
Loughborough was proud to welcome three Paralympic athletes who took on the relay through the town.
James Hollis - Para-swimmer
Para-swimmer world record holder James Hollis got the Baton relay in Loughborough town centre underway and carried it from the entrance to Queen's Park through to the Carillon Tower.
He was nominated for his incredible contribution to swimming and the parasport community. He competed at London 2012 and has recently come out of retirement to pursue his goal of competing at the Commonwealth Games.
Emma Wiggs MBE - Paracanoeist
Double Paralympic gold medal winner and nine-time World Champion paracanoeist Emma Wiggs MBE took the Baton through the park and on to Granby Street.
At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games Emma became the most decorated female paracanoeist at a Paralympic Games of all time by winning gold and silver in the VL2 and KL2 events respectively.
Dan Greaves - Para-athlete
Paralympic gold medal winner Dan Greaves also known as Discus Dan was the final Batonbearer and carried the Baton through the Market Place and onto the stage for a celebration event.
Dan made history at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics by becoming the first British track and field athlete to win a medal at six successive Paralympic Games.
Celebration event
To celebrate the Baton's visit to Loughborough, there were a range of activities and entertainment taking place in Market Place and Queen's Park between 12-3pm. These included:
- Free family sports activities
- Children's games
- Big stage and screen with live 'through the decades' entertainment
- Live jazz band
- Carillon recital
- Free arts and craft activities
- Face painting
- Market stalls
- Children's fairground rides
Background information
The Relay began on October 7 2021, with Her Majesty The Queen placing her message to the Commonwealth into the Baton. The Baton is now on its 294-day long journey to every corner of the Commonwealth before arriving at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on July 28, 2022.
The Baton will arrive in England on July 4, 2022 and will be carried across the country by 2,022 inspirational Batonbearers, each with incredible stories.
The international route spans an impressive 269 days, spending between two and four days in each nation or territory, covering approximately 90,000 miles (140,000 kilometres), with over 7,500 Batonbearers trusted with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry the Baton in their community.
More information about the Queen's Baton Relay for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games can be found by clicking the link below.
Last updated: Tue 4th October, 2022 @ 15:41