QUEEN’S BATON RELAY: KEY MESSAGES FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES

This document is not for publication, but for reference only

Key messages

The Queen’s Baton invites everyone to be a part of the excitement, celebrations and countdown to Scotland’s biggest-ever sporting and cultural festival, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The Queen's Baton will travel the length and breadth of the nation for 40 days on the way to its final destination - the Opening Ceremony.

With up to 4,000 batonbearers joining the relay in more than 400 communities, this is Scotland’s biggest ever relay. The Queen’s Baton is visiting all 32 Local Authorities, with up to 100 batonbearers carrying Her Majesty’s message daily.

Traditionally the countdown to the Games, the Queen’s Baton Relay is the time for the nation to get behind Team Scotland, rallying our athletes as they get ready to compete for medals in Glasgow.

The relay offers people across Scotland the opportunity to join in on great days out. There are countless sports and cultural events taking place daily along the route, including an evening celebration, so that even bigger crowds can take part in the festivities.

It’s your team, your baton, your community; a celebration of everything that's great about Scotland, and the chance to cheer on the extraordinary batonbearers who make a positive difference to the lives of others.

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To follow the baton’s journey visit

The story so far

The Queen’s Baton has travelled through 69 nations and territories of the Commonwealth (Scotland is the 70th) since its journey began on 10 October, at Buckingham Palace. Before arriving in Scotland, tens of thousands of people have carried the baton during its 248-day international journey, covering more than 190,000km around the world.

Scotland’s batonbearers

Each person carries the Queen’s Baton for approximately 200 metres, in a special uniform they get to keep as a memento. They were nominated by their communities, the biggest Thank you Scotland has ever seen. These are Scotland’s ordinary-extraordinary individuals, those who make a difference to the lives of others. For the first time in the history of any relay, all 545 secondary schools in the nation were invited to nominate a pupil to participate as a batonbearer.

A typical day in the Queen’s Baton Relay

Along with the four-hour road relay, there are lots of cultural and sport activities, including special Culture 2014 pop-up performances for everyone to enjoy from comedy to music, film, dance and other family-friendly events. The day rounds off with an evening celebration for the community, so that even bigger crowds can take part in the festivities.

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About the design of the baton

The baton weights 1.6kg and measures 615mm in height, and 80mm at its widest point. It was designed by Glasgow-based 4c Design.

The titanium lattice frame, layered together by 3D printing technology, is inspired by Glasgow’s industrial heritage and the architecture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Inside the baton is the Queen’s Message, which is illuminated but unreadable until the Opening Ceremony. At the top of the baton, there is a granite gemstone made of Scotland’s Ailsa Craig granite, which is gifted to each nation and territory.

How the community can join in

You can support your batonbearers by making up your own headbands, megaphones, banners and more from The Supporter’s Kit, which is available online to download from 12 May. For more details, go to glasgow2014.com/join

Please note –for reference:

  • Do not refer to the baton as a ‘torch’.
  • Batonbearer is one word only
  • You can write ‘Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton Relay’ or ‘the relay’, and ‘Glasgow 2014Queen’s Baton or ‘the baton’.
  • You can refer to the Queen’s Baton as ‘baton’, ‘Queen’s Baton’ but not ‘Baton’ (don’t capitalise when using individually), or ‘Glasgow 2014 baton’.

If you have questions on enquiries on these messages, please email

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