Full day of cultural fun as part of the Queen’s Baton Relay this week

July 7, 2022

Excitement is building as Southend-on-Sea is set to host The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay on Friday, and residents and visitors are invited to join in on a day full of free, exciting cultural events.

The Queen’s Baton Relay is a journey which brings together and celebrates communities across the Commonwealth during the build-up to the Commonwealth Games. The Queen’s Baton Relay is set to travel the length and breadth of England for a total of 29 days, before culminating at the Opening Ceremony for Birmingham 2022 on 28 July 2022.

As part of the Queen’s Baton Relay’s journey through Southend on Friday 8 July, the Queen’s Baton will set off from the top end of the High Street (Victoria Circus near the Odeon) at roughly 11.10am and work its way all the way down to Pier Hill for approximately 11.20am. The Baton will be carried through the High Street by four Batonbearers, each carrying the Baton for a different section. Once the Baton reaches Pier Hill, it will then be taken to Maldon for the next stage of the journey.

The council has worked with event organisers and local organisations to create a day full of fun-filled events for the whole family to enjoy, including musical performances from local schools and the Music Man group, dance workshops with Bollywood Dance, pop-up tennis from Fusion Lifestyle and a capoeira activity from Brazilarte. A full line up of events and timings can be found at www.southend.gov.uk/QBR.

Cllr Carole Mulroney, cabinet member for environment, culture and tourism, said: “This Friday will be a momentous day in the history of Southend-on-Sea. We are thrilled and proud to have been chosen as part of the route for the Queen’s Baton Relay, and the line up of events means the day is certain to be exciting.

“Staff have worked extremely hard to pull all of this together and I hope to see lots of people on the High Street, enjoying the day and taking part in the activities. This is an historic and unique event for our City so we want everyone to enjoy the day.”

Sam Bennett, one of the four Batonbearers for Southend-on-Sea, won the Gold in the 110m Hurdles at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games and Euro U18 gold in 2018. He said: “It’s a huge honour to be a Batonbearer for the Queen’s Baton Relay here in Southend-on-Sea. Growing up not far from here I know how passionate the City is for sport and culture and I can’t wait to carry the Baton through the High Street as part of the event.”

To facilitate the event and to ensure the Batonbearers have safe passage through the High Street, a number of restrictions will be in place on the day. Barriers will line the High Street to give the Batonbearers an unrestricted route through the City Centre. A number of road restrictions will also be in place where vehicles will not have access. Please visit www.southend.gov.uk/QBR for full details.