The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will be welcomed into Knowsley this Sunday, 17 July from 5pm -7pm with a festival of sports, dance, music and performance in a celebration of community pride, and the whole of Knowsley is invited!
At 5pm, The Queen’s Baton will start its tour of the borough after an epic journey around 68 countries of the Commonwealth. The Queen’s Baton Relay has returned to the UK in the final countdown to Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Baton will be met at Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park at 5pm where the Batonbearers will be welcomed by a troupe of more than 100 Girl Guides from across Merseyside who will form a guard of honour as they make their way into the park.
Then local running group, Running Bugs will guide the Baton and Batonbearer to the Velodrome via a live bootcamp training session with Volair Gym members.
At the Velodrome the Baton will be passed to cyclists from Runcorn Cycling Club and Liverpool Century Cycling Club who will take the Baton on a lap of the Velodrome before the Knowsley BMX Club perform a skills demonstration for the crowds and Baton bearers alike.
The Baton will then travel to Knowsley Safari in convoy where the relay will travel around the Foot Safari, with the runners passing by the giraffes and through the Tiger Trail – a huge natural-inspired habitat that allows visitors to take a close-up look at Amur Tigers. Knowsley Safari will be offering free entry to its Foot Safari to visitors arriving between 4:30pm – 5:30pm on 17 July to enjoy the Baton Relay.
From the Safari, the Batonbearers will travel into Prescot, via Warrington Road and will travel down Eccleston Street to the newly opened Shakespeare North Playhouse.
From around 6.15pm, before the Baton’s arrival in the town centre, crowds will be able to enjoy the start of the Baton Relay’s ‘End of Day’ celebration.
Hosted by renowned local performance poet Curtis Watt, the celebration begins with a sneak peek at a special mass movement spectacle which is a celebration of Knowsley’s rich sporting heritage and thriving dance landscape. Featuring 100 dancers, the performance has been commissioned for and will premiere as part of Knowsley’s Sporting Legends Relay on Saturday 23rd July
When the Baton arrives at Shakespeare North Playhouse it will take a trip inside the brand-new theatre space and visit The Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden where the Batonbearer will be greeted by a signing choir.
The Baton convoy will then travel out to Prospero Place and the day will conclude with a world-first performance of ‘A Song for Prescot’ by pupils from Evelyn Community Primary School. The song has been created exclusively for the event by Leo and Hyde, a musical theatre writing duo and theatre company who combine electronic sound-worlds and pop songs with contemporary stories.
The bells of Prescot Parish Church will be rung to signify the end of the relay as the Batonbearers depart.
Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council said: “This is a momentous occasion for Knowsley and one we should all feel very proud to be part of. I hope to see our communities take the opportunity see the baton on its tour and enjoy the fantastic evening of events and entertainment we have planned to welcome The Queen’s Baton into our borough.
“What makes this event more special is that if helps kick start our weeklong celebration of sport across sport, when on Monday 18 July our Knowsley Sporting Legends Relay begins.”
From 18 July to 23 July, Knowsley Sporting Legends Relay will travel the length of the borough with support from local communities, sporting groups, local sportspeople and even the odd famous face popping up. The 6-day showcase event will celebrate Knowsley’s rich and varied sporting heritage, as well as its past, current and future sporting heroes. There are lots of FREE opportunities for the public to get involved and lots of free fun family events and activities to enjoy. Find out more here www.cultureknowsley.co.uk/sporting-legends-relay/
About the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay
Birmingham 2022 is hosting the 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay – a journey which brings together and celebrates communities in every corner of the Commonwealth ahead of Birmingham 2022.
The Baton has already begun its epic journey across the Commonwealth, where it will have visited Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean, and the Americas, it will return to England in July 2022 for the final countdown to the Commonwealth Games.
The Queen’s Baton will travel around England for 25 days, before the Relay officially ends at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on 28 July 2022. The Queen’s Baton Relay is a Games tradition that celebrates, connects and excites communities from across Commonwealth during the build up to the Games.
This collective journey will ignite hope, solidarity and collaboration for the next generation, with these stories leaving us all inspired to take on the challenges that matter most to us. For more information, visit birmingham2022.com/qbr
