The Queen’s Baton Relay, which as an integral part of the build-up to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, arrives on the Island this Friday. Her Majesty The Queen launched the relay at Buckingham Palace on October 9 last year and that signalled the start of the Baton’s 118,000 mile journey to all Commonwealth nations and territories. The baton will arrive here on May 16 from the Guernsey and Jersey legs of the relay and will be accompanied by Clyde, the Glasgow 2014 mascot. It will also feature in BBC 1’s The One Show presented by Chris Evans and Alex Jones from a studio which will be set-up at the Villa Marina on Friday evening. On Saturday it will visit the Manx Youth Games, then central Douglas around lunchtime, and Laxey during the afternoon. On Sunday the Baton Relay party will be at the TT Grandstand which is the start line for the Mountain Time-Trial cycle race, and then it’s off to Peel and the House of Manannan and back to Douglas in the afternoon. The full itinerary is as follows:
Friday 16 May
12.10pm: Arrives at Ronaldsway Airport
12.30pm: Old House of Keys Castletown
3.45pm: Arrives Douglas Railway Station by steam train, pulled by Caledonia built in Glasgow
7pm: The One Show, hosted by Chris Evans and Alex Jones, Villa Marina colonnade
Saturday 17 May
10am: Manx Youth Games, NSC
11.45am: Regent Street, Douglas calling at Isle of Man Post Office and Manx Telecom shop
2pm: Arrive Laxey Station - mines train to Lady Isobella - walking relay to village
4pm: Baton leaves Laxey
Sunday 18 May
8.30am: Mountain Time-Trial cycling event starting at TT Grandstand
11am: House of Manannan, Peel, then on a longboat to RNLI station (weather permitting)
2.30pm: Douglas inner harbour - flotilla around the Tower of Refuge (weather permitting)
The Baton Relay leaves the Island on Monday May 19 and continues its journey with the next stop being Northern Ireland. The relay will culminate at the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on July 23, 2014. Inside the baton is Her Majesty’s message to the Commonwealth which will remain hidden until the opening ceremony.
Photo - Her Majesty places her message to the Commonwealth inside the Glasgow 2014 Baton watched by HRH Prince Tunku Imran, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation. This was at the start of The Queen’s Baton Relay on October 9 last year – the Baton will arrive in the Isle of Man on May 16.
