Baton Relay Meetings To Mark Commonwelath Games In Highland

21st May 2014

Convener calls for communities to join together to celebrate Commonwealth Queen’s Baton Relay as it travels through the Highlands.

The Convener of The Highland Council, Councillor Jimmy Gray is calling for communities to join together and be part of the celebrations as the Commonwealth Queen’s Baton Relay journeys through the Highlands this summer.

The relay comes to the Highland area in July this year, passing through 16 different communities. Although the Relay is organised by the Glasgow 2014 Committee the arrangements in the Highland area are co-ordinated by The Highland Council, working with partner organisations and community groups.

In his call for people to rally together to mark the visit, Convener Jimmy Gray said: “This is a once in a life-time opportunity and the relay is a unique tradition of the Games that unites people in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace. I’m particularly delighted that so many of our communities will have the chance to be part of the celebrations in the build up to the Glasgow 2014 Games. This is the ideal opportunity for local community groups, schools, sports clubs, care homes, local businesses, staff and teams of volunteers to work together to ensure everyone remembers the day they saw the 2014 Commonwealth Queen's Baton.”

The exact route and timings are being finalised and will be announced in early June but the baton’s first appearance in the Highlands will be on Friday 4 July when it will be in Aviemore en-route from Moray to Perth and Kinross. It will then arrive in Ullapool from the Western Isles on Wednesday 9 July before it travels north to Lairg and Thurso on its way to visit the Orkney Islands. The Baton Relay then returns to the Highlands for two full days on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 July arriving on Friday morning at John O' Groats then making its way to Wick, Brora, Golspie, Tain and Alness before arriving in Dingwall where it will take centre stage during a special celebration to be held at the Jubilee Park. On Saturday it travels south on the A82 from Inverness through Drumnadrochit, Fort Augustus and Spean Bridge to end in Fort William where it will be handed over to Argyll and Bute Council.

It is envisaged that a number of communities may wish to mark the visit of the Queen’s Baton so to assist with this The Highland Council has arranged a series of meetings in each ward/main location to provide information on the relay route and to encourage community groups to work together to celebrate the occasion in a way appropriate to their particular community. Where there is interest it is hoped that one of the key local organisations would take a lead in co-ordinating plans with other groups – although the precise arrangements for each community will vary according to which groups are interested in getting involved.

The local meeting dates next week are:

Monday 26 Assembly Rooms in Wick at 7.30pm
Tuesday 27 Perrins Centre in Alness at 5.30pm
Tuesday 27 Tain Parish Church Hall at 7.30pm
Wednesday 28 Ferrycroft Centre in Lairg at 4.30pm
Wednesday 28 Golspie Community Centre at 7.30pm
Thursday 29 May Aviemore Community Centre at 7.30pm

Local groups in the other areas the Baton will visit, including Drumnadrochit, Fort Augustus, Ullapool, Dingwall, Thurso, John O Groats and Lochaber are well advanced with local plans and full details will be publicized once the full route is confirmed.