Baton relay comes through town

The team will be running along the outskirts of Bexhill this weekend on the Brighton to Canterbury leg of their journey which will eventually culminate in Manchester in time for the Commonwealth Games next month.

It's hoped residents and youth groups will join local dignitaries including the Mayor Peter Fairhurst and Greg Barker MP during the early morning of Sunday to give the relay team a rousing welcome and send-off!

Athletes are even expected to make a brief stop at the Down where they'll pose for photographs before continuing along the A259 through Hastings and on to Rye, which they're expected to reach by lunchtime.

Organisers say the relay gives people a chance to join in the spirit of the Games and the Jubilee by lining the route.

"It's going to be very early that they're coming through Bexhill. We're not expecting many schoolchildren compared to if it had been a weekday but we're wanting to get as many people involved to welcome the team into Bexhill even if it's just a case of stepping out their house and watching as the convoy goes by," said a council spokesman.

The route will follow the A259 from Little Common Road, up King Offa Way and past Ravenside Retail Park. The runners are expected to arrive at the Down around 8.30am.

The baton left Buckingham Palace on March 11 when the Queen handed it over to the first runner.

Since then it's travelled through more than 20 Commonwealth countries. By the time it reaches Bexhill the team will be almost halfway through a 50-day journey across Britain which finishes in Manchester in time for the Commonwealth Games starting on July 25.

The baton is made of aluminium and measures around 70cm.

The flashing light in the baton is activated by the runner's pulse. The Queen's message for the Games is contained in a capsule at the top of the baton.