Queen's Baton relay comes to Dominica

From the Community High School to Orion Academy; from the Orion Academy to the Dominica Grammar School; from the DGS to the Convent High School; from the CHS to the St. Mary's Academy; from the SMA to the Wesley High School and from the WHS to the Goodwill Secondary School.

Thursday was indeed a busy day in Roseau for persons partaking in the Queen's Baton Relay that symbolises the coming together of all Commonwealth nations and territories in preparation for the four-yearly festival of sport and culture.

"It is with pleasure and honour that I raise this Baton and I accept it from the Dominica Olympic Committee," said Josephine Dublin, the principal of the Convent High School in front of hundreds of screaming girls. "I do hope in its journey throughout the world on to Glasgow that it brings not just peace in the world but persons involved in sporting activities will recognise the great power sports can bring to our world."

The Baton arrived at the Melville Hall airport on Wednesday and after a short ceremony it was relayed to the Carib Territory and secondary schools in the northeast and northwest.

The Glasgow 2014 Queen's Baton Relay is the curtain-raiser to the XX Commonwealth Games. Over a period of 288 days the baton will visit 70 nations and territories, cover 190,000 kilometres and involve a third of the world's population, making it the world's most engaging relay.

On 9 October 2013 the Queen's Baton Relay was launched at Buckingham Palace, at a ceremony where Her Majesty the Queen placed her message to the Commonwealth into the baton.

The baton will be relayed by thousands of people throughout the Commonwealth, each one honoured by their own nation to participate in this unique tradition. Magical memories will be created on this journey across continents, terrains and time zones. From Sydney Harbour Bridge to the forests of Rwanda; from Pacific Islands to the Rocky Mountains of Canada, to the green hills of Dominica the baton will showcase each nation and territory in the Commonwealth.

The finish line is in the host nation Scotland just in time for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony in Glasgow, where Her Majesty the Queen will read aloud Her message to the Commonwealth.

The baton embodies Glasgow and Scotland's culture, history and innovation in its design and construction.

At the heart of the baton is the Queen's Message, inscribed on a parchment handmade in Glasgow using linen and plant fibre. The message will be scrolled and held in a transparent cylinder within a pure titanium latticework frame. For the first time, the message forms the visual core of the baton design – illuminated from within by LED lights, yet unreadable until the Opening Ceremony.

The lattice frame takes inspiration from Glasgow's rich industrial and architectural heritage. State-of-the-art Direct Metal laser sintering was used to create its striking organic form, fusing together layers of pure titanium powder three hundredths of a millimetre thick with a focused laser beam.

The baton's handle is made of elm wood sourced from the grounds of Garrison House on the Isle of Cumbrae – a tribute to Scotland's natural resources. It was constructed using a boatbuilding technique called bird-mouthing, traditionally used to make masts for ships. Light, strong and durable, the handle was created by craftsmen at Galgael, a social enterprise that teaches traditional skills.

The baton contains a granite 'gemstone' which will be gifted to each nation and territory. Housed at the very top of the baton, it is released only by opening a clever puzzle mechanism. The gemstones, made of granite unique to Scotland, were sourced from Ailsa Craig in the firth of Clyde, crafted by Kays of Scotland, and embellished by jewellers from Glasgow School of Art. (Source: Glasgow2014.com)