The 2018 Commonwealth Games Baton set to visit Flintshire

The 2018 Commonwealth Games Baton will visit Flintshire in September as part of its 388 day journey to the Gold Coast Games in Queensland, Australia.

The Commonwealth Games Baton will visit Flintshire on Thursday 7 September 2017 for an event at Theatr Clwyd, as part of a three day visit to Welsh.

During the 388 day journey, the baton, carried by a relay of runners, will visit every part of the commonwealth before arriving at its final destination, the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast City on 4 April 2018.

Theatr Clwyd will be the only theatre visited on the Welsh leg of its journey, which includes landmark destinations ranging from The Royal Mint in Llantrisant to Zip World in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

The Baton will arrive at the theatre in the late afternoon to be welcomed by local school students, Flintshire residents and civic leaders.

Flintshire County Council Chief Executive, Colin Everett, said:

We are proud to have such an iconic theatre in our County and to be recognised as a host of the Queen’s Baton is a true honour and we look forward to the celebrations in September.

The Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay can be considered a Welsh innovation: it began at the Cardiff Commonwealth Games of 1958 when runners carried it through all thirteen Welsh counties.

Since the 2006 Melbourne Games it has visited every territory within the Commonwealth as a visual celebration of the unity and diversity of its nations.

The Baton carries a message from Her Majesty The Queen to Games athletes, which is read at the Opening Ceremony.

Liam Evans-Ford, Theatr Clwyd’s Executive Director, said

As one of the largest producing theatres in the country Theatr Clwyd is proud to welcome the Commonwealth Games Baton. It represents the diversity of national cultures and their artistic traditions which we connect with through our wide range of performances and screenings and the rich variety of stories they tell.

The Theatre is co-funded by Flintshire County Council and the Arts Council of Wales, and is the premier production company in Wales.