Bolton’s very own wrestling Champion Kelsey Barnes carried the Baton for the final leg of the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay on Saturday.
Kelsey, along with other Batonbearers, was nominated by members of the public for her hard work in the community, ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on July 28.
Bolton College shared their pride for their former pupil in a Tweet.
It read: “So proud of former Bolton College apprentice Kelsey Barnes, who carried the Baton for the final leg of the Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay.~"
So proud of former Bolton College #apprentice Kelsey Barnes who carried the Baton for the final leg of the #CommonwealthGames Queen's #BatonRelay
— Bolton College (@BoltonCollege) July 17, 2022
Kelsey, a wrestling champ, joined other Batonbearers nominated by members of the public for their achievements.
Well done Kelsey! 👏 pic.twitter.com/jh3S06UXIe
Coronation Street star Antony Cotton, from Bury, also carried the Torch through to Bolton for the Armed Forces charity, SSAFA.
In a Tweet he said: “It was an honour to carry the Commonwealth Torch as part of the Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay tonight in Bolton – on behalf of my beloved military charity.”
It was an honour to carry the Commonwealth Torch as part of the Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay tonight, in Bolton - on behalf of my beloved military charity @SSAFA. pic.twitter.com/QvRNA6gzEz
— Antony Cotton (@antonycotton) July 16, 2022
Mayor Cllr Akhtar Zaman gave a speech to mark the event and was joined by several councillors.
He said: "The Queen's Baton Relay has given Bolton the platform to showcase its work and various activities."
Cllr Hilary Fairclough added: “It was a fabulous event.
“Bolton as always put on a fantastic show.
“The Baton arrived on time, and we gave it a roaring welcome.
“It was great to be part of a national event.”
Cllr Nadim Muslim also shared his enthusiasm for Bolton's role in the event, which earlier in the day had passed through Lancashire, saying: “We have a proud tradition of supporting sport throughout the borough and this is another way to show off that support to the entire Commonwealth.
“The games are a fantastic way of bringing our commonwealth of nations together and I’m delighted that Bolton has been involved in the journey.”
Bolton FM kicked off the celebrations at 5pm with some live music,
Crowds gathered in Victoria Square to show their support for the relay runners, who left Queen’s Park at 6.20pm, arriving at the square just before 7pm for the finale.
There was also a range of street entertainment, including free arts and crafts for families to get involved in.
Cllr Sam Connor said: “As councillors, it was an honour to be invited to welcome the Baton to Bolton and join in the celebrations.”
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