Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay to visit Plymouth and The Box
11 May 2022
The route for the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay has been confirmed to visit Plymouth during its final journey through England this summer. Its journey is bringing together and celebrating communities across the Commonwealth during the build up to the Games. In England, it will provide the opportunity for communities to experience the excitement for Birmingham 2022, as the 11 days of showstopping sport nears ever closer.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is set to travel the length and breadth of England for a total of 29 days, before culminating at the Opening Ceremony for Birmingham 2022 on 28 July 2022. Kicking off on Thursday 2 June, the Baton will spend four days in London, coinciding with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Weekend. The Baton will then resume its international journey and return to England on Monday 4 July to commence a 25-day regional tour.
Plymouth will officially welcome the Baton on Monday 4 July as it arrives from Mount Edgcumbe in Cornwall by boat, crossing the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. It will leave at 9am and travel on Plymouth Boat Trips’ e-Voyager, the UK’s first seagoing electric ferry, which offers a greener mode of transport across the water and the first zero carbon leg of the route.
The Baton will be accompanied by a flotilla of vessels, including sailing boats and paddle boards. It will travel past Pier Masters House, the historic emigration depot, before arriving on shore at the Barbican Landing Stage and being carried to the Mayflower Steps. It will then travel past the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Plymouth Hoe and down Armada Way before finishing at The Box.
A busy schedule of activities and events are planned for the Queen’s Baton Relay while it's in Plymouth. It includes:
- A civic welcome at the Mayflower Steps, in a nod to 4 July and Plymouth’s American connections, with the Lord Mayor of Plymouth and other city leaders
- Passing the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Plymouth Hoe, which is dedicated to British and Commonwealth sailors who were lost in the First and Second World Wars with no known grave
- A community welcome on the Piazza at the heart of the city centre
- A greeting from local schoolchildren as it arrives at The Box, after which it leaves Plymouth to travel to its next destination in Devon
Members of the public are encouraged to get involved with the celebrations and embrace the arrival of the Baton. More details about events and where to line the route will be published closer to the date.
The Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Councillor Terri Beer, said:
Plymouth is immensely proud to be hosting the Queen’s Baton Relay in such a momentous year. It gives us an opportunity to showcase everything that Britain’s Ocean City has to offer to the rest of the UK, and to the world. It will put the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park in the spotlight, as well as shining a light on the dedication and hard work carried out by the local people who have been given the honour of becoming Batonbearers.
Thousands of Batonbearers, each with inspiring backgrounds and stories, will have the honour of carrying the Baton during the journey through England, including those nominated in recognition of their contributions to their local community, whether that be in sport, education, the arts, culture or charity. Between 40 and 130 Batonbearers will carry the Baton each day, and the Relay will reach hundreds of villages, towns and cities during its tour of the country.
One of the confirmed community Batonbearers in Plymouth is Toby Gorniak MBE, Artistic Director of Street Factory CIC. Toby was nominated for the inspirational work he does to empower people, using hip hop to inspire and uplift young people, their families and communities.
For more information on the Queen’s Baton Relay, visit www.birmingham2022.com/qbr.