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Flintshire welcomes the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay

Published: 30/08/2017

The 2018 Commonwealth Games Baton, which carries a message from Her Majesty the Queen to participating athletes, will visit Flintshire as part of its journey to the Gold Coast Games in Queensland, Australia. During a journey lasting a total of 388 days, the baton will be carried by a relay of runners and will visit every part of the Commonwealth until it arrives in Gold Coast City for the opening ceremony on 4 April 2018. As part of that journey, the Baton will spend four days in Wales, beginning in Swansea on 5 September and arriving at Theatr Clwyd Mold on Thursday 7 September. Local baton bearers include Tae Kwon Do double Olympic champion Jade Jones, Paralympian Beverley Jones, Commonwealth Badminton athletes Caroline Harvey and Daniel Font and Junior Commonwealth swimming athlete Elena Morgan. Flintshire County Councillor Ian Roberts, Cabinet Member for Education and Youth, said: “Welcoming the Baton to Flintshire provides us with a wonderful opportunity to champion our sports facilities and the opportunities they offer to local people of all ages and all abilities. “Flintshire has a proven track record of producing talented elite sports men and women who are providing inspiration for others following in their footsteps. “We are proud to lend our support to the message carried with Baton and send our best wishes to all the athletes competing in next year’s Games.” Celebrations will begin on the field next to the theatre at 3pm where the sports development team will be on hand to provide people with an opportunity to get involved and have a go at a wide variety of sports. Flintshire County Councillor Derek Butler, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: “Wales has strong historical connections to the Queen’s Baton Relay. Not only did the first relay take place in Cardiff in the lead up to the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, a legendary Welsh sportsman, sprinter and rugby player Ken Jones, was the Baton bearer. “I am proud and honoured that Flintshire is following in this tradition and has been chosen to close day three of the Welsh leg of the tour. I would invite people to come along to Theatr Clwyd, join in the celebrations and warmly welcome the Baton to our county.” The Baton will arrive at 5.30pm where a Baton Parade, coordinated by New Dance (a local dance development organisation) and comprising children and young people from ten Flintshire primary schools, will be waiting to escort the relay runners to the front of the theatre building, before the Baton is taken inside and onto the stage of the Anthony Hopkins Theatre. Members of the public wishing to be photographed with the Baton can visit the Anthony Hopkins Theatre stage between 6.15pm and 7pm. The road in front of the theatre will be closed for the celebrations from 3pm but the multi-story car park will be available for public parking. You can follow the Baton’s journey at www.gc2018.com/qbr