Solihull residents in the north of the borough have plenty of entertainment to choose from on Tuesday 26 July. The Queen’s Baton Relay gets underway at Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel at 8.30am, and whilst the event at the hotel is unfortunately not open to the public for capacity reasons, anyone waiting outside on the Chester Road will get a great view as our first Batonbearer, Wayne Elcock, takes the baton out in to the community.
At Babbs Mill Park there will be a fun family event running from 8:30am to midday, offering refreshments, sporting activities, and taster sessions. You can also enjoy the extensive playground and beautiful local nature reserve within the park as you await the arrival of the Queen’s Baton Relay, which will pass through the park at around 9.20am.
From there, the relay will move on through the streets to North Solihull Sports Centre, where this is a large sports themed event taking place. The Queen’s Baton will arrive at around 9.50am and be taken on a relay around the running track. Between 9.30 and 12am the sports centre is laying on an outdoor aerobics class, activities in the sports hall, free swimming for local residents all morning, and free gym inductions as well as raffles and prizes.
After departing North Solihull Sports Centre, the Queen’s Baton Relay will make the short journey round the corner to Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre, where, from 10am to 3pm, there will be a range of family fun sports activities and competitions, including table tennis and basketball. The baton will arrive at the shopping centre just before 10.30am.
The final stop before the baton travels to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games venue at the NEC will be at a community event in Marston Green at the Garden of Remembrance. There will be food stalls and entertainment from the Bread and Butter Theatre Company as well as SEND inclusive activities provided by North Solihull Additional Needs Support Group. For more information on the SEND inclusive event please see our profile of Sajida Golby, the group’s founder, who will be carrying the Queen’s Baton in Marston Green as it passes through just after 11am.
From there, the Queen’s Baton Relay will head to the NEC, which will not be open to the public as the venue is secure ahead of the start of the Commonwealth Games just two days later. It will then move around the rest of the borough before finishing in Solihull town centre, where The Band of The Grenadier Guards will accompany it down the high street and through Mell Square, before the day concludes with a musical extravaganza in Jubilee Gardens in front of an audience of hundreds of lucky ballot winners.