May 12, 2022 10.57 am This story is over 21 months old

When and where the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay will visit Lincolnshire

Anticipation is building!

By Local Democracy Reporter

With the Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham this year, the traditional Queen’s Baton Relay will stop off at four towns and cities in Lincolnshire this summer before the competition commences.

The Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport spectacle held every four years between countries in the Commonwealth of Nations, and this time it will be in the United Kingdom as Birmingham will play the role of host city.

For each Games, there is a Baton Relay that travels throughout the competing nations, ending up at the host nation for the opening ceremony, much like the Olympic torch relay that came to Lincolnshire ahead of the London Games in 2012.

The Queen’s Baton Relay began in Cyprus on October 9, 2021, and has so far been to the likes of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and the Maldives.

The England route of the Baton Relay, which is the final country on the route, will begin on July 4, coinciding with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and it will visit four locations in Lincolnshire while in the county.

The Queen’s Baton Relay will stop off at Lincoln on July 10, with visits to the International Bomber Command Centre, the LNER Stadium and Lincoln Guildhall through the High Street and up near the cathedral.

It will also be in Skegness, Boston and Grantham, travelling through places such as Wyndham Park, St Wulfram’s Church and St Botolph’s Church on Monday, July 11.

Members of the public are being invited to get involved with the celebrations and create a carnival atmosphere for the arrival of the Batonbearers as they carry it through our Lincolnshire abodes.

The baton itself has been designed with a platinum strand to pay homage to Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Year, and it has also been fitted with a 360-degree camera to capture the scene of communities supporting the relay.

Rachael Bradley will be carrying the baton through Grantham. | Photo: SKDC

One of the Grantham Batonbearers will be Rachael Bradley, a local cancer survivor and campaigner described as “an incredibly humble human being who is making a big impact in the local community”.

She said: “If sharing my breast cancer journey has saved one life, it’s a job well done. Cancer is a terribly cruel disease and having endured the hardest 18 months of my life, I know that raising awareness is so important.

“I feel incredibly privileged to have been nominated for such a prestigious and significant event in my home town.

“My breast cancer diagnosis has made me passionate about raising awareness and money for those charities that work tirelessly to help provide cancer treatment and fund research into finding a cure for this awful disease.”

For more information on the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay route and the Games in general, visit the Commonwealth Games website.