The 2018 Commonwealth Games baton has arrived on Montserrat.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is a 388-day trek for the baton, which stands as a symbol of calling the nations of the Commonwealth together to compete in sports in Gold Coast, Australia in 2018.
The baton is making its rounds of the island after the official handover on Thursday morning at the Governor’s Office. Students from Brades Primary and Lighthouse Academy were able to touch the baton and a select few ran with the baton around Government Headquarters.
On Thursday, the baton also visited the Montserrat Secondary School, Aunt Madge Day Care, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory and Richmond Hill.
The baton and its entourage are scheduled to visit the community college on Friday, the football stadium in Blakes, Lookout Primary School and St Augustine Primary.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games baton is made from macadamia wood, reclaimed plastic and a stainless steel stringer which has all of the nations to be visited engraved including MSR (Montserrat) in the order they will be visited.
The Baton has its own App that will be used to control the different settings for the energy efficient LED colour illumination and battery status. A GPS will allow the Baton to be tracked as it travels around the Commonwealth.
The Baton itself is designed with accessibility in mind. The shape provides multiple grip positions allowing the Baton to be carried with comfort regardless of hand size. There is also a harness that the Baton can be carried in for people who may not be able to carry the Baton in their hand.
The Baton adaptor is a key item for consideration in the design process. The adaptor is specifically designed to hold the Baton on various modes of transport; for example, wheelchair, bicycle, boat, or where the Baton needs to be secured safely for water-based activities or climbing.
