Batonbearers who took part in the English leg of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will be gifted a souvenir Baton in celebration of their involvement. Key supporters of the global programme will be given a baton too.
The 2022 premium souvenir Batons replicate the same shape as the official Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton, which was used throughout the 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay – an epic journey across the Commonwealth, with the Baton visiting all 72 nations and territories that participated in the Games.
The Relay began on 7 October 2021, with Her Majesty The Queen placing her Message to the Commonwealth inside the Baton. The Baton then covered 90,000 miles during its 269-day long journey to every corner of the Commonwealth before returning to England. From there it covered a further 25 days and 2,500 miles, carried by around 2000 Batonbearers, before finally completing its journey during the Opening Ceremony at the Alexander Stadium on 28 July 2022.
Each Batonbearer was nominated to take part in the Relay and each and every one of them had an inspirational story, showcasing how they had taken on a challenge or made a difference in their local community. One of the Batonbearers was CJ Lloyd Webley, a socially conscious writer and champion for young people.
CJ facilitates creative writing workshops for disadvantaged children and fundraises to buy school equipment for them. He also leads Lightpost Theatre, supporting the mental health of more than 30 young black men, and in 2020 CJ Founded The Black Pounds Project CIC. He bootstrapped £6,000 and created a mentorship programme, which has helped more than 1,500 businesses in the Midlands.
The weight of the commemorative Baton is 420g and it is a 1/3rd scale (225.75mm height) of the Queen’s Baton, which was specially created by designers and technologists from the West Midlands, including Raymond Osman product designers, in association with MAOKWO and Kajul. The original concept and technology for the Baton were designed by BOM (Birmingham Open Media).
Batonbearers will have the souvenir Batons delivered to their homes via the Royal Mail from the end of September 2022, once each commemorative Baton has been laser etched with the Batonbearer’s name and route.
Ian Reid, CEO of Birmingham 2022, said: “We wanted to thank all of our amazing Batonbearers for taking part in the Queen’s Baton Relay. Their stories are a true inspiration and we hope that this gesture will remind them of their special day and the role they played in the Games.”
Gary Moore, Creative Director, Touch of Ginger said: “It’s always a pleasure to create a unique item with historic significance such as this. I hope Batonbearers will treasure their Souvenir Baton and give it pride of place for family and friends to admire for years to come”
A limited number of Batons will also be available to the general public. To order one, visit the official Birmingham 2022 memorabilia shop at memories.birmingham2022.com.