Does Commonwealth Games Blue Peter

On today's show, we're celebrating the start of the Commonwealth Games.

And I'll be showing you how to make these healthy, fruity lollies.

And I get to meet Commonwealth athlete Libby Clegg.

Plus, Helen Skelton is at the games to give us the behind-the-scenes

gossip and we're joined by Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Take it away!

THEY PLAY "BLUE PETER THEME"

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Yes!

-Hello!

-That was amazing!

-Yes, it was!

A great way to celebrate the start of the show

-and celebrate the start of summer!

-Yes!

It is summertime. And look who's back, it's little Iggy!

-Hey, gorgeous!

-She was loving those pipes.

Iggy's loving it and something that I'm loving

is the start of the Commonwealth Games.

It officially began with yesterday's opening ceremony.

That means we have a week and a half of world-class sport.

And something you might not know - I'm very excited about this -

is that Jamaica has its very own lawn bowls team.

We're talking jack-and-bowl action all the way from Kingston.

-I cannot wait!

-Iggy's looking for a ball! She's confused! Sorry!

Camera Two! Hi, how are you?

We know that you love sport, because you are all applying

for the BP Sport Badge 2014. Why am I holding on to this branch?!

You've been getting in touch in your thousands. Thank you very much.

What are you waiting for? All you've got to do is get a friend

or family member inspired to take part in a sport you love. Thank you.

That's right! Head to the website for all the details you need.

If you applied last year for your 2013 Sport Badge,

make sure you apply again and get your hands on the 2014 badge.

Complete the set. It really is good fun.

Whilst you're online, why don't you apply...

In fact, why don't you leave a comment?

We are live and we'd like to hear from you. So, get in touch.

We're talking about the summer. What are you most looking forward to?

You might be going away or doing something. We're nosy!

Can I tell you? I'm so excited! I'm going to Beijing.

I'm going to be in China for the Youth Olympics.

How cool is that? I cannot wait! I might pack Iggy in my suitcase!

Good luck with that!

It's all about the Commonwealth Games. So many athletes!

From Team Scotland, we've got Eilidh Child and Michael Jamieson,

Team England, we've got Tom Daley and Louis Smith.

And one of the best athletes of all time -

-David Rudisha from Kenya, cannot wait.

-I'm learning to surf,

so I'm going to be in my camper van heading to the beaches.

But enough about us, it's all about you. Tell us what you're doing.

At the end of the show, we'll read out as many comments as we can.

-Cos we love hearing from you.

-Yes!

You might've noticed the Scottish team at the Commonwealth Games

have an incredible Scottish kit.

Check this out. You can see they've got loads of colour.

At the opening ceremony, they've gone to town on the tartan.

Nobody can deny them of that.

We have here, too, at Blue Peter.

Before we show you our Blue Peter tartan,

just time to show you how we made it.

Today, the Blue Peter team have

asked me to come to a mill in the Scottish Borders and create a very

special Blue Peter tartan, which is going to be turned into a kilt.

-Now, Radzi couldn't make it today, but...

-Check me out!

You might not know, but I'm half Scottish.

Look! There's my cousin. Pretty cute, right?

My family even had their own type of tartan.

And I'm half Scottish, too.

That, there, is my great grandad.

Tartan is a material most closely associated with Scotland.

It's made up of crisscross patterns

and used to make all sorts of clothing, including shawls and ties.

Even the royal family has their own tartan.

Looking good, Your Royal Highness!

So, armed with all the Blue Peter badges for inspiration,

we're visiting one of the biggest tartan-makers

to have our very own Blue Peter tartan made.

But first, we need to have a look around to get some ideas.

-Big or small squares?

-Small squares. I like loads of small ones.

-Oooh!

-Oh, hello!

This is Lynne. She designs tartan for people all around the world

and she's going to help us make ours.

How do we now go about turning this into the Blue Peter tartan?

-Do you want to stay and help me design the tartan?

-OK, design team!

Maybe you could go to production and see how the fabric's woven.

Absolutely! I'll leave my favourite tartan there.

-Lindsay, don't mess it up.

-I've got this, Radz, I've got this.

First, I want to know how they make the tartan so colourful.

For that, I need to meet a man called Ron.

We're in the dyeing room. What happens here?

I'll show you. This is a white yarn which, after two hours,

will be coloured and should be royal blue.

So, yarn starts out like that?

Yes, this is the natural colour of the yarn.

You fill the machine up and it will boil

for between half an hour and one hour.

-I've got one here that I dyed earlier.

-Brilliant!

-I'll just show you this one.

-Oooh...

-There we go!

-Wow!

That what it's like when it's been dyed.

It's even coloured the plastic!

Unfortunately not, it was blue plastic before we spun it!

HE LAUGHS

But the yarn on these cones is still wet. So, after a quick spin,

they are dried out in one of the largest ovens I've ever seen.

That is hot!

So, after about eight hours, we get the yarn out.

Then what would we do with that yarn?

Next, it goes straight to weaving. That is where we make the cloth.

-Right! I'd better go and see that. Thank you.

-Nice seeing you.

While I go to check out some weaving,

Lindsay and Lynne are busy working on the design.

These are the tartans we've picked.

They are quite different, quite green and blue.

And then we have the badges, too.

Purples, oranges, the all-important gold badge, of course.

Lots of blues and greens.

We'll pick out the green you'd like to use,

-and pick a gold. Which gold, do you think?

-That?

-Then, the purple.

-Let's keep it dark purple.

Oh, yes! I like that!

Maybe you should go and get measured up for your kilt?

Good point! Thank you for your help! Good luck.

Meanwhile, Radzi is somewhere a whole lot noisier.

MACHINES CLATTER

-James, there is a lot of material in this place.

-Yes.

How much do you produce?

Over the course of the year, enough to stretch from Scotland to France.

RADZI LAUGHS

What actually is happening?

You have your horizontal threads getting intertwined

with your vertical threads in a weaving motion.

Everything is intertwined together.

-I'm glad you're the man in charge, and not me!

-Thanks very much!

-Good!

-Where have you been?

There is so much to see.

I've just been getting measured.

-I think it's time you did, as well.

-OK...

Ah-ha-ha!

Not while you're here.

But while I do get measured up, here's three top tartan facts.

The earliest tartan was found on mummies in China,

dating back over 3,000 years.

It's now popular all over the world.

Many people adopted their own tartan,

including the Canadian Mounted Police and even New York City.

In fact, tartan is so popular in America that every 6th April,

they celebrate National Tartan Day.

Well, the design for the Blue Peter tartan is looking great.

I can't wait to see what it's going to look like

when it's made into a kilt.

-You are looking very smart.

-I don't like to boast.

-You're not looking too bad yourself.

-Thank you, let's go. Come on.

I think we look the part, don't we?

I'm loving this tartan.

I wish I was half Scottish, I feel left out.

-I've just got green khakis.

-Stop it!

Now, we look the part.

But we want to know more about what is going on

at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. To help us do that,

we have an exclusive link up with an old face you might recognise.

She's there for BBC Sport, it's Helen Skelton! Hey, Helen!

Hello! Less of the old face!

So good to see your old, wrinkly face! Hello!

Let's talk about what you've been doing while you're there.

I'm very proud, I've always been on at you to take photos

and you have been doing. You took a photo of you and the Queen?

This is correct. I was at the swimming heats.

Rebecca Adlington was looking over my shoulder.

It was the Queen. She wandered in and sat a couple of rows behind us.

She was looking splendid

-in lime green and navy.

-Amazing!

That was this morning. What about now? Where are you?

I'm on top of a wooden, sauna, chalet-type building,

that translates on-screen as a stunning studio.

Behind me, you can see the Clyde.

You might recognise that from the opening ceremony,

there were loads of fireworks on there at the opening ceremony.

There were dancers and Scotty dogs. It was brilliant.

You can see two space-age buildings behind me,

the Armadillo and the Hydro.

That where the boxing, the gymnastics and the weightlifting

is going to take place. A very busy place.

But, come this way.

We've been given special permission to come inside the BBC studios.

You will see all these people here working very hard.

They have to wait for hours a day.

We are covering the sport on BBC from dawn to dusk.

Hazel, for instance, is sitting here, working away on her notes.

-Hazel, how many hours are you in the chair today?

-Not too bad,

-four hours on the telly today.

-Lots of snacks there?

Yes, lots! Bananas, healthy, healthy!

And the sweets, we've seen them!

What are you looking forward to over the next week??

Tonight is the big one,

everyone in the host nation of Scotland would like Michael Jamieson

to do well in the 200m Breaststroke.

We've had lots of famous people like David Wilkie of Scotland

and Adrian Moorhouse of England won this title.

That's a big moment tonight.

It is a big moment. There could be a scrap on. Thank you, Hazel.

I nearly fell off your stage, there!

It wasn't even Michael that qualified fastest in that heat.

It was Ross Murdoch, he was a surprise contender.

The place was going absolutely crackers.

Ross was a bit surprised that he did it.

What actually happens tonight? Who knows?

All eyes will be on that one.

I couldn't be more excited for the next week and a half.

Who are your top tips for home nation gold-medallists?

There are plenty of people to watch.

Jazz Carlin in the pool should be interesting.

Fran Halsall in the pool.

Siobhan-Marie O'Connor will be brilliant.

Dai Greene from Wales, he could do well on the athletics track.

Bad news about Mo Farah today. But, you know what?

I think that might give a few of the others a little bit of a push.

They might think, "This limelight is here for the taking."

Natasha Jonas in the boxing.

Plenty of people to watch. Plenty of people could do well.

I think the home nations are going to have a brilliant games.

Well, Helen, as always,

always a pleasure to see your young and beautiful face! See you soon.

Bye! See you soon.

If you would like to get in touch

and find out more about the Commonwealth Games,

head to the website.

And while you're there, you'll find a cracking song from Brett Domino.

# Commonwealth Games

# The Commonwealth Games

# This is a song that's all about the Commonwealth Games

# The Commonwealth Games is a regular thing

# It dates back to a time when George V was King

# Although the first official event was held in 1930

# But let's stop that there before I get too nerdy

# So, what is the Commonwealth? I've got an idea but I'm not confident

# It's a family of nations across all the different continents

# Once upon a time these were all part of the British Empire

# But we'll have to cover that in a different song, it'll take too long

# Lots of people moved to Britain from Africa and Asia

# Others went to places like New Zealand and Australia

# Although the different nations have their own independence

# They have regular meetings at which they're all in attendance

# What's the games bit? Can you be more specific?

# You know what games are! Do you not remember the Olympics?

# So, it's like the Olympics but just with Commonwealth countries

# It's like the Olympics but just not as...big. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Forget about it not being as big as the Olympics, size isn't everything.

As Lindsay Russell knows!

Small package, delivers the good every time.

I can't wait for the games, that got me in the mood.

Look at the big badge wall, it's covered in your post.

Maybe you can spot something? I spotted this, it's incredible.

It's from Carys in Cheshire. Do you know what this is?

-This is a medal for winning the rowing race.

-Is it L for loser?

No, I'm a winner!

I think it's amazing, it's really sparkly. Thank you very much.

Alice sent in this. It's got a little Iggy house.

She knows we're talking about her.

Under there, if I lift this up, we've got Iggy!

Look at her massive eyes!

Oh, look! Spitting image! Thank you so much.

This might be the best thing I've seen in my life, ever.

On last week's show, I was pretending to talk to the animals.

I said to the meerkats, "I would like a cappuccino?"

Hattie has drawn it for us. IGGY BARKS

I know, Iggy, it's amazing. There's me saying, "Where is my latte?"

There are the meerkats ignoring me and one of them squeaks.

Absolute genius! It's so good when you interpret the show in your work.

Maeve from Hampshire has sent this in.

This is Iggy in her little house.

We're calling it a pooch in a pouch. Look, she comes out and everything!

-Oh, yes!

-We love it when you get creative.

Feast your eyes on this picture from Caitlin from Glasgow.

It has a castle, just there.

But next to the castle is Clyde the mascot.

Clyde means a lot to us on Blue Peter, because two years ago,

we had a competition to design the Commonwealth Games' mascot.

That is us announcing the winner.

Helen Skelton and Barney Harwood, looking very happy.

That was designed by Beth.

Beth, your mascot is at the Commonwealth Games, well done!

Let's talk about what I was doing earlier on. It's getting hot,

and I want to cool down now with a refreshing and healthy treat.

We are going to show you how to make some delicious fruit lollies

-which you're all tucking into. Are they nice? ALL:

-Yes!

You've got all got whoppers, the cup ones.

I'm only making the little ones.

There are lots of ways to make these.

If you head to the website, you can get all the details you need.

Don't go just yet, stay here and I'll show you how to make it.

It's dead easy. I did my puppy-dog eyes!

Look! Lolly moulds, I think they are called, from the supermarket.

You can get them like that, or ice cube trays for small ones.

The guys behind me are eating the big cup lollies.

Just use plastic cups for your moulds. Really simple.

You can either use cocktail sticks,

or lollipop sticks to stick in the middle

to make your handle to hold the lolly. What do we do?

We chuck a load of fruit in, it's that simple.

I've got raspberries, kiwi, grapes, strawberries, blueberries,

tinned peaches, you can use tinned fruit if you want.

On the chopping board, I've got some watermelon.

This plays a very different part.

Chop it carefully if you do it yourself.

If you want to get help, you can do.

I have to eat some, it's so hot out here today.

This is going to go into a blender, like this.

This is basically the glue that holds the fruit together.

It's the bit that freezes.

Get this on the right way, give it a quick whizz.

Like this. BLENDER WHIZZES

It does take about four days,

so here's some somebody else blended earlier.

For this, I'll choose some blueberries.

You don't have to use watermelon for your juice.

You can use anything you like.

I'll go for some small stuff

because I want to put some juice down the side. Stay...

Watermelon goes in like that.

That's what makes your lolly.

That is my favourite bit about the whole thing.

Find the middle, stick in your lollipop stick like that,

and all you do is chuck that into the freezer

and about six to eight hours later

they look like lollies that look like this.

They're really, really tasty.

Who hasn't got one? Here you go.

Radzi, have you had a go, as well?

-I do. Oh, you don't have one...

-Take the bucket and hand them out.

I made one of these for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers earlier.

Oh, wow.

You've got to try it, Barney.

I made it differently. You said, "Use a different flavour",

so I used chillies in mine and it just adds a bit of spice.

You have no idea how hot that is!

-I need something cold.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

Not that! That's the worst thing to put in!

Somebody else who has been hotting up this summer,

but in her case readying herself for the Commonwealth Games

is Scottish athlete Libby Clegg,

and a few weeks ago, I got to meet her.

I am in Loughborough to meet one of Great Britain and Scotland's

most successful recent track athletes,

and a star to look out for in the Commonwealth Games.

This is Libby Clegg.

Libby is a sprinter, and she's seriously fast.

She has won silver medals at the Paralympics

and gold at both the European and World Championships.

When she was ten, Libby was diagnosed with a condition affecting

her eyesight and now, has only slight vision in her left eye,

this means she runs with a guide.

Mikail and Libby have been running together the two years,

and together, they make a winning combination.

Libby and Mikail, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you.

I will start with yourself, Libby,

the Commonwealth Games are a few weeks away now.

How is your training going?

Everything is going really well.

We are injury-free and happy, so looking forward to it.

And it's not just yourself, you have Mikail, your guide runner.

How did you and Libby first meet?

Libby was being guided by my stepfather.

Watching them do their thing, I thought,

this could be a great opportunity, if given the chance.

Do you have to trust each other when you're running?

I trust Mikail to guide me on the track. I'm running at full speed.

He has to trust me a bit

because we communicate all the time on the track.

Can I try my hand at guide-running?

-By all means, if you trust me.

-I trust you!

We have the guide rope, that way.

This immediately feels so unnatural.

To become a guide, you need to experience what it's like

to run without sight.

So, while Libby and her guide dog stand by,

Mikail shows me the basics.

Close your eyes and get your other arm going, as well.

And then I was blindfolded to make sure I couldn't see.

Before you can run, you have to be able to walk...sort of.

Eventually, it was time to pick up the pace.

-Ooh!

-Left arm! Left arm!

There we are.

With Mikail's help, we soon started to make tracks.

That is good, Radzi.

Keep your arm... That's it.

My right foot comes down late... So, then, that...

Do you know what? It's everything to do with me,

because I am trying to think "Which arm?", "Which leg?".

But, the thing is, it is my fault because I'm the guide.

That's the key.

-It's both our fault cos we're in a team.

-There you go.

-There you go! I like that!

-HE LAUGHS

While I let the training sink in,

I thought it was a good moment to ask Libby and Mikail

some of your questions.

OliveCrumpetPeach asks, have you got any secrets to make you run faster?

And, if so, what are they?

Use your arms. Pump your arms as fast as you can. So...

-Go to bed early.

-Yes!

AgateWeavingBonobo asks,

do you get on well, or have you ever fallen out?

I can be quite grumpy.

When I'm grumpy, I'm not the best person to be around.

# Dum-dum-dum! #

OlivePaintingWombat asks, who inspired you to be an athlete?

My mum was my main support who encouraged me

to go to the track and do all my training.

She's been with me through the good and bad times.

AquaRandomAnteater asks, what was your favourite subject at school?

I did enjoy PE, but I actually did enjoy art,

because we used to go there for a skive.

ALL LAUGH

I found it quite nice cos I was training all the time,

so it was a good way to escape.

LilacJellyCoin says, "Hello, Libby,

"could you give anybody any advice for somebody

"who wants to be an athlete but is blind?"

The way I got into Blind Sport

was through a charity called British Blind Sport,

and they do lots of different activities.

That is the best place to have a look

and see what you'd be interested in.

Time to end on a Blue Peter challenge.

Libby and Mikail can run 100 metres in just 12.1 seconds,

but how fast can we run 50?

Over to the left.

And start to slow you down.

It's cool, it's cool.

That's a record.

It's never been timed before. Congratulations!

Record holders! HE LAUGHS

I hope by now you know that I love sport

and I'm always inspired by what successful track athletes do.

But what Libby and Mikail do is just that little bit extra special,

and I think at this year's Commonwealth Games,

it's going to be THEM that get gold.

Radzi is completely right.

They really are special athletes,

and maybe if you were watching the opening ceremony,

you might have seen them cos they featured in it. Check this out.

"Our shared equality,

"the level playing field on which we compete."

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

We are very proud of them here at Blue Peter. Well done, you two!

Now, time to chat to a very special band. You might have realised

at the beginning of the show

that our opening theme was a bit different because

today we are joined by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-We are so excited to have you.

-Thanks for having us.

Well done on all your Blue Peter badges.

Talk me through the bagpipes. Are they difficult?

I'm led to believe they are one of the hardest instruments to learn.

-Oh, that's good to hear!

-I wish somebody told me 15 years ago,

and I would've taken up the tambourine!

-You've been doing this for 15 years now?

-That's right.

Now, I play the saxophone. Is that similar? Are there any similarities?

-Only one way to find out.

-I knew you would say that. Here we go.

This goes over your left arm.

Oh, dear!

Blow into the mouthpiece, big breaths...

-And squeeze at the same time.

-And you finger with the tube.

I can see why it takes 15 years to master.

-OK.

-OK, big breath.

Three, two, one!

WEAK WHEEZING

Again.

LOUDER WHEEZING, CHEERING

-That wasn't bad, was it? Was that all right?

-It was bad, yeah!

It really was bad, actually, so I'm going to give it

I will leave it to the masters because you are amazing.

That's made me a bit light-headed!

Here, with a special mash up for Blue Peter,

it is the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Take it away!

BAGPIPES MUSIC

# Everybody dance now!

# Everybody dance now!

# Everybody dance now! #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-That is what it is all about!

-They are unbelievable!

-Amazing. Thank you so much.

-You are welcome any time!

-Yeah, next week!

-That's what I'm talking about!

Earlier, we asked you to let us know

what you are looking forward to this summer.

Loads of you have been in touch.

-WhiteDrawingDriver says...

-Easy for you to say!

..says, "I'm looking forward to celebrating Eid."

Eid Mubarak to all Muslims out there for when Ramadan ends.

These names are getting better by the week.

WarbleChirpyChicken says, "I'm looking forward

"to finding out whether I've passed my piano exam.

"I took it a while ago." Good luck, hope you get a distinction.

QuartzLightningPony says, "I'm looking forward

"to going to the beach to investigate rock pools

"and having a barbecue." That is my dream day.

MorganiteSpringyActor... My go! It's your go, but I jumped in!

MorganiteSpringyActor says,

"I'm looking forward to sleeping in the mornings

"and not having to wear a shirt and tie." That's a good one.

-All yours!

-AquaAutumnGirl is a person after my own heart.

The thing I'm most looking forward to is the Commonwealth Games'

swimming events and being part of the vibe of Glasgow. Yes!

BlueBlackCrumpetCat says,

"I'm looking forward to learning to surf on Newquay Beach."

Did you write that one in?

I know all about that. Stay tuned, it's quite exciting.

-The internet!

-A quick one from Millie.

What are you looking forward to about the summer?

-Going to the beach and more fun days out.

-Nice. Jack?

I'm looking forward to going Cornwall, and bodyboarding.

-How about a bit of surfing while you're there?

-I might do.

It could be quite good. I'm just going to take it easy.

-That's what the summer's all about.

-I love that!

One last one. BlackCrunchyReindeer says, "I'm looking forward

"to my birthday because I will have a sleepover and go shopping."

-Happy Birthday!

-That is all we have time for this week.

Let's tell you what's happening on next week's show.

The summer continues and we'll be doing the show

live from a beach in North Wales.

We will be doing some beach games,

-and for once, it's me versus you, Barney.

-You're going down, Russell.

After some serious judging, we'll be revealing the winner

of the Blue Peter Badge Attraction poster competition.

That's one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

Also, I'll be learning

how to save lives at sea by joining a surf school.

Oh, dear! Not off to a good start!

Make sure you're watching next week, it's going to be a blast.

In the meantime, have a great week. See you, then.

-Wave and cheer!

-ALL:

-Bye!