Batonbearers confirmed to ‘Take It On’ and carry Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has today confirmed the thousands of inspirational people from communities across England who will take on the role of Batonbearer in the Queen’s Baton Relay this summer.

During its tour of Commonwealth nations and territories, the Queen’s Baton will arrive back in England on 2 June 2022 for a four-day visit to London, coinciding with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend, before resuming the international journey. It later returns to England on 4 July to commence a 25-day tour across all remaining regions. The Relay will culminate at the Alexander Stadium on 28 July for the Opening Ceremony, where the Queen’s Message will be read aloud, signifying the official start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The confirmation of Batonbearers comes following the public nomination campaign in January 2022, from which approximately 8,000 nominations for were submitted. The callout was for inspirational people in England who met the selection criteria:

• Always willing to take on a challenge and has a unique and inspiring story;
• Has made a meaningful contribution to sport, education, the arts, culture, or charity;
• Is a figure of inspiration that positively challenges others to achieve their best;
• Has taken on a challenge or cause and made a positive impact within their community

Nominations were reviewed by regional selection panels made up of representatives from youth organisations, charities, universities, community leaders, and representatives from Local Authorities.

Batonbearers have been selected in all nine regions of England and embody the diversity in communities across the country. From local heroes to inspirational school children, the Batonbearers come from all walks of life, backgrounds and vary in age - with children as young as 12 taking part - and each take on issues that matter most to them.

Today, nine of the confirmed community Batonbearers came together at the Alexander Stadium, where the Relay which reach its finale following a month of celebrations across the country. The Batonbearers included:

1. CJ Lloyd-Webley, West Midlands
2. Yasmin Hussain, London
3. Samuel Russell-Pierce, South West
4. Freya Levy, East of England
5. Amdani Juma, East Midlands
6. Harleen Kaur, Yorkshire & The Humber
7. Nicola Wood, North East
8. Lyndon Chatting-Walters, North West
9. Anna Grace Taylor, South East

Each Batonbearer has been notified on which day and in which region they will carry the Baton, which will be on one of the following dates:

• London – Thursday 2 June to Monday 6 June
• South West – Monday 4 July to Tuesday 5 July
• South East – Wednesday 6 July to Thursday 7 July
• East of England – Friday 8 July to Saturday 9 July
• East Midlands – Sunday 10 July to Monday 11 July
• Yorkshire & The Humber – Tuesday 12 July to Wednesday 13 July
• North East – Thursday 14 July to Friday 15 July
• North West – Saturday 16 July to Sunday 17 July
• West Midlands – Monday 18 July to Thursday 28 July

Further details of the Queen’s Baton Relay route will be revealed in May 2022.

Batonbearers will play an integral role in the Queen’s Baton Relay when it returns to England this summer, taking on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry the Queen’s Baton in their region and building excitement for the highly-anticipated Commonwealth Games. They will join over 7,500 Batonbearers that have already passed the Baton between communities on the international journey.