Episode 9 Queen's Baton Relay

In July, the 20th Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow.

For the last 214 days, the baton has been on an amazing journey.

It has travelled almost 118,000 miles,

through 64 Commonwealth nations and territories.

I'm so very happy.

For the next 74 days,

it will journey throughout the whole of the British Isles.

As the clock ticks down to Glasgow,

we're following the batonbearers who will carry the Queen's Baton

in the final stages of its momentous journey.

It's got to be one of the best moments in my life.

Oh, it's amazing. I've got goose pimples all over me, as you can see.

To be part of this is just...

you know, the greatest honour I can think of really.

As the baton heads off on the last leg of its journey,

we'll meet some of the batonbearers on the way.

Some have overcome great personal hardship to make

life better for themselves and others.

I don't remember being frightened.

Others are heroes in their communities,

making a difference to the lives of those around them.

I said, "What I'd like to do

"is to try and inspire you to change your life."

Attack, defend. Attack, defend.

And some are simply being honoured for their grit and determination.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

The baton's journey around the British Isles

starts here on the sunny island of Jersey.

And who better to bring the baton ashore -

Tom Daley - a true champion and ambassador of British sport.

Tom's success in the pool has inspired thousands of young people.

Yeah, I'm really excited about the Commonwealth Games.

I mean, it's getting closer now

and this really does make it feel real, like it's about to happen.

Really exciting.

From Jersey, the baton does a tour of the other Channel Islands

including Sark, population 600,

number of cars - zero.

Many of the thousands who will carry the baton will be young people.

Here on Sark, it's the turn of the island's schoolchildren

to savour a moment they'll never forget.

And on Sark's larger neighbour, Guernsey,

the baton is making its way around all the schools on the island.

For seven-year-old Katie it's a very special moment.

I was picked because...

I have cerebral palsy but it doesn't

stop me from doing anything

and I just get on with my work.

As the baton leaves the island of Guernsey,

it pays a visit to the Isle of Man before arriving in Belfast.

Lucia Quinney Mee is 15-years-old

and has battled serious health problems

all her life.

Despite this, she campaigns tirelessly

for an organ donation charity.

For all her good work,

she was to carry the baton from her home in Ballycastle

to nearby Rathlin Island.

Unfortunately, her own health has robbed her of that chance.

Lucia is back in Belfast Children's Hospital,

a place she knows well -

she's been coming here since she was eight years old.

I think I had noticed

Lucia's eyes a little bit yellow

and I thought, "That's a bit strange."

Lucia had contracted a rare and life-threatening disease that

meant her blood cells were attacking and destroying her liver.

Doctors gathered the family together to deliver the news

that would turn their world upside down.

Lucia would die

unless she had an immediate liver transplant.

In the simplest terms he explained this to Lucia,

who was eight at that stage.

She understood. And he said, "And do you have any questions?"

And, um, after a while, she said, "Will it hurt?"

I don't remember being frightened.

The whole thing was so fast, you don't really have time.

You kind of take in what they say but you don't realise, like,

actually how big it is.

The wait for a liver could take months but Lucia didn't have months.

Miraculously a liver became available

and surgery was scheduled to go ahead the very next morning.

That night was a night of so many mixed emotions and thinking,

"This could work but this could be the last night we spend with Lucia."

I remember going down to the theatre. They were wheeling me

on my bed and everyone was around me - my mum and dad and Alice.

I think they were all quite worried that that point,

but I remember going down saying to them,

you know,

"Don't worry."

Although at first, it looked as though

the transplant had been a success,

in the months that followed, the new liver began to fail.

Lucia would now have to go through a second transplant operation.

They tried a few things but nothing seemed to be kicking in.

So they then said, "Look, we're afraid that this is going to mean

"a second transplant."

Her parents were once again faced with

breaking the devastating news to Lucia.

I think it was a shock.

We'd never really thought that it wouldn't work.

And she said, "Look, I can't do this any more. I'm only eight.

"And I...

"I either want to get better or I want to die...

"but...I can't do this any more."

I think that always I had a sense that it's just what has to happen.

There's not much of a choice there. You can kind of either go for it,

or you don't. So you just kind of have to get on with it.

Six years on, the second operation has been a success

and Lucia is now out of danger.

Full recovery however is slow

and she's never too far from the children's ward.

Her most recent visit has dashed her hopes of carrying the baton.

I definitely feel disappointed

because... I think it would've been a fun day as well.

Up until this morning, Lucia didn't think she would carry the baton.

But the games organisers have sprung a surprise for her.

I don't think Lucia knows what's going to happen

but it'll be very exciting.

The crowds have gathered to see Northern Ireland's sporting legend

Mary Peters carry the baton

but she's not the only batonbearer here today.

Lucia is going to get her chance to carry it after all.

Through all the adventures that we've been on

in the last few years,

I would say it's Lucia's strength

and her own quiet grace

that is held us through all of this.

What makes her special as well has to be that

we recognise that we could have lost her at this page eight.

But she's still here.

CHEERING

Life is short, you never know when the next thing might come up,

but I think that's the point. You just have to take every day

and...live it and then, see which you do tomorrow.

APPLAUSE

From Belfast, the baton heads back over the Irish Sea to Wales.

It might be raining here but there is no damping the spirits

of the thousands who have turned out to cheer on the batonbearers.

The baton will spend the next seven days

travelling across the valleys, through the cities

and also to the top of Mount Snowdon.

Langland's Bay in South Wales is home to batonbearer

and top athlete Non Evans.

Non has broken Commonwealth records

by competing in three separate sports at the games.

She has also played international rugby for her country.

Non truly deserves to be a batonbearer.

So what does it take to become a super athlete

and where does her will to win come from?

I was always into sport, always a tomboy and I haven't stopped since.

Non first became hooked on sport

when a judo club opened in the small village where she grew up.

I started judo.

It was a small club that opened in the village.

My mother said, "Take your little brother down."

He was several years younger than myself.

From the minute I started smashing people into the floor,

I loved it, and I've been fighting people ever since.

I think Non has always

wanted to prove

that she is the best at whatever she takes part in.

That's been the driving force behind her doing so well in all her sports.

I've always been very, very competitive.

People ask, "Where does it come from?

"Trying to prove yourself all the time."

I don't know if I wanted to win

but I always had to have an aim or a goal.

And every single day, I'd get up in the morning, do my training,

I train every night, every weekend.

I always want to be the best at everything.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'So, Non Evans from Wales...'

Being the best took Non to three Commonwealth Games.

In the 2002 Games in Manchester,

she didn't just take part in the judo.

She also represented Wales in the weightlifting.

I was in gym one day and someone came up to me and said,

"You're lifting a heck of a lot of weight for your body weight.

"Why don't you compete?"

I said, "OK." So I competed in a local championship,

then the Welsh championships,

and then I qualified in the weightlifting

for the Manchester Commonwealth Games.

I became the first ever person to compete in two separate sports

at one Commonwealth Games.

In an outstanding career, Non has picked up silver medals for Judo

and won 87 caps in international rugby.

In 2011, she was made an MBE.

But in that same year, a serious sports injury brought

her career to an abrupt end.

It's strange, when you retire from sports,

all the accolades start coming. I went into the Sports Hall of Fame.

I was the first female rugby player to get an MBE.

It wasn't for rugby, it was for services to sport.

I've had every honour you can get

but it came at a point which marked the end of my career.

So instead of being happy about it, you're thinking,

"Yes, it's brilliant but it's because I've finished."

Maybe as I get older and I look back I'll appreciate it more.

APPLAUSE

Go on, Dad.

Non has been a winner for over two decades.

Her focus, determination

and, ultimately, her achievements make her an obvious batonbearer.

And her big day is in Llanelli - a place close to her heart.

Seeing such a huge crowd here in Llanelli,

my hometown where I was brought up, is brilliant.

Just honoured to be part of such a great occasion.

For Non it's like that winning feeling all over again.

Oh, it's amazing. I've got goose pimples all over me, as you can see.

It's such an honour to be the first person to carry it as well.

Great to see such a huge crowd turn out in Llanelli.

A huge, huge occasion.

I'm so honoured and privileged to be carrying the baton.

All around the British Isles,

the baton is receiving a warm reception.

On the first stop of its 14-day tour of England,

the baton has come to Manchester.

Manchester's Velodrome is the home of British cycling.

Ralph Aldred has been chosen

to carry the baton in recognition of his tireless work

with the Lancashire County Blind Cricket Team.

I was absolutely knocked out

when I found out I'd been asked to be a batonbearer.

I just think it's a tremendous honour and a privilege.

For as long as he can remember,

Ralph Aldred has been in love with cricket.

But in 2012, Ralph's own life took an unexpected and devastating turn.

An ordinary night out at the cinema

suddenly turned into a frightening experience.

Ralph felt dizzy and found he couldn't see

as he left the cinema.

It became apparent something was seriously wrong.

Suddenly, when we got into the open air,

he realised that he couldn't see.

It wasn't just that it was dark -

he couldn't see.

And obviously we were both really frightened.

Ralph had suffered a mini stroke which damaged his eyes.

Overnight he lost 80% of his vision.

I can best describe it as looking through a sheet of polythene.

I can see shapes, I can see colours

but I can't see any fine detail.

The thought of not being able to play cricket again

was a huge disappointment.

The realisation this is what I've got, this is my eyesight now

and it's never going to get any better,

and I've got to try and get used to it, that was...

..probably one of the lowest points of my life, to be honest..

But for Ralph, hope was just around the corner.

It was his beloved cricket that would help him

come to terms with his tragedy and help him rebuild his life again.

A colleague of mine told me about

Lancashire's visually-impaired cricket team.

I didn't even know there was one.

I went along to one of their training sessions

and it was brilliant, it was absolutely brilliant, I loved it.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-Bowl, bowl, bowl!

-OK.

-Play!

Ralph plays with the Lancashire Lions cricket team.

In 2012, the team came top in a national blind cricket league.

Ralph and some of the other players have partial sight.

Play!

Others however have no sight at all.

-Ready, Abu?

-Yeah.

I have to make sure he's ready first and then, as I let go of the ball,

I have to shout "play" so that he knows the ball is on its way.

Play! Then it's just listening for the noise that the ball's making.

Bowl, bowl, bowl.

Playing this visually impaired cricket, it's made

a huge difference to my wellbeing both mentally and physically.

'That was absolutely the turning point

'because that was when he started to get'

a joy back in his life

and, really, hope for the future, and when his mood started to lift.

Play!

I no longer go to bed thinking,

"Do you know, when I wake up in the morning,

"my eyesight's going to be back to how it used to be."

I've given up on that one now.

As well as rediscovering his own love of the game,

Ralph has taken things a step further.

He now works with a local cricket charity

to help others live life to the full.

My outlook on life is different now.

I think I've been very lucky.

I've always had a fairly optimistic outlook on life.

I'm looking forward to certainly many more years of playing cricket

and helping bring youngsters through in the game.

Yeah, I do feel that I've got my husband back.

Back at the Velodrome, Ralph is getting ready to carry the baton.

Brilliant. Well done.

He's turned his life around and today is all about celebration.

His journey here wouldn't have been possible

if it wasn't for the power of sport to change his life.

That's something that is going to live with me

for ever.

What an honour. Absolutely.

It's got to be one of the best moments in my life.

Phew! What a relief though. I'm glad I didn't drop it.

From the North of England, the baton travels

down the motorway to Birmingham.

As in Manchester, the crowds are out in droves.

CHEERING

For 30 years, batonbearer Pritesh Pattni

has been at the heart of his community.

Aston is really quite a deprived area

of Birmingham, and also the country.

It's in the top 5% most deprived neighbourhoods in the country.

Is this a good area or a bad area to live in?

Well, it used to be a good area

but I can tell you now that, er,

the younger people now

-have made the area completely different.

-Have they?

-Yes.

No matter what qualification they have...

-They won't get a job?

-..they can't get no jobs.

-That's right.

-NEWSREADER:

-'There have been serious disturbances

'and looting in several...'

In 2011, as riots took place in major cities across England,

Pritesh witnessed his community tear itself apart.

One night during the riots, Pritesh and his assistant

were working in the petrol station he owns.

About three o'clock in the morning, we suddenly saw

about 35 masked people coming towards the shop.

Then they started breaking all the windows ,

they were using sledgehammers to break the doors.

So I grabbed my member of staff and we hid in the back.

and then all hell broke loose after that.

They were ransacking the place,

taking all the cigarettes, and alcohol and everything,

while we were trapped in the back.

After three days of rioting and looting,

everything Pritesh had worked for was destroyed.

For many people, their first reaction would be anger,

but for Pritesh it was different.

There was that unanswered question about why did this all happen?

It was something that I was keen to explore,

maybe more out of curiosity than anger.

I didn't really have any anger towards the people.

As part of a justice scheme to bring home the impact of

crimes in the community, Pritesh was offered the chance

to meet one of his attackers. He jumped at the opportunity.

I recounted the story of what happened to me

and the effect it had on me and my family as well.

So we talked along those lines and I learned a bit more about him

and I said to him, "My friend, you can have a hard time in your life

"and you can come back.

"So what I'd like to do is to try and inspire you to change your life."

In the months that followed,

Pritesh met with the young man in an attempt to turn his life around.

For 30 years now,

Pritesh has been inspiring the young people in his area.

He believes in the power of sport to change lives.

Here we are in Mansfield Green Park

in the middle of Aston and this is our youth club - The POD.

Aston Youth Club or "The POD", as it's known,

is a converted 40ft shipping container,

smack in the middle of Aston.

It's maybe about as basic as you can find

but, for the local kids who come here, it's making a difference.

On an average day

we have 35 or 40 kids coming every single day.

We play cricket and we play football.

I play badminton and cricket.

I play cricket. I play badminton.

It's lot of fun,

everybody enjoys it here.

We all enjoy it here.

It's a way of getting kids into sport.

It brings them together, it teaches them

respect for other cultures. We have so many cultures in the area.

Tolerance as well.

So we learn to get on with each other.

Sport is that common language for them.

If this facility wasn't here,

they'd be out on the streets being a nuisance to neighbours.

This project helps to prevent young people

falling into the wrong path.

Pritesh is an amazing person.

I haven't come across a more committed volunteer

for any charity or any organisation ever.

So, Pritesh... If there was a knighthood,

Pritesh should get that one, yeah?

For now the knighthood can wait.

Pritesh is happy just to pick up the Queen's Baton

on behalf of the kids whose lives he's helping.

Sport is a vehicle that can really change peoples' lives.

For young people, there's a lot of life skills they get from sport,

like communication, team work,

and it gives them the confidence to go out there

and make something of their lives.

Well that's me done for the day.

It's been an amazing event.

It's an amazing moment in my life, I've got to say.

Sport means a lot to me and to be part of this

is just the greatest honour I can think of really.

Halfway through its time in England,

the baton makes it way south to London.

It's the turn of the capital to celebrate its arrival.

And the city has made a right royal fuss.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

A stone's thrown from the centre of the city

is the Borough of Lambeth, home to Rebecca Donnelly.

A proud Londoner, she has fought tirelessly to offer hope

and ambition to inner-city kids through boxing.

Jump. Just jump forward.

Jump forward.

I set it up cos my passion was martial arts,

then went into the boxing.

And lots of people helped me out and changed my life

through mentoring, through encouraging me to do something

through telling me that nothing was impossible.

and I think every young person needs that support.

So I think it was something that was needed in the area

and it's just grown from there.

Go back in. Come on. Attack. Defend. Attack. Defend.

In all, Rebecca now runs six clubs, all helping to keep

young lives on the straight and narrow.

It changes lives because sport is a power for change.

It's an intervention programme.

So for someone to be taking part in a sports activity, it means

they're not doing something else on the streets,

or causing harm, or causing trouble.

If this club wasn't here, to be honest,

I'd probably be doing things I shouldn't be doing.

If I wasn't here, then, I don't know, you know,

I think I'd be much more lazy,

probably out on the streets with the wrong people

doing the wrong things, you know? Instead of spending my time

doing bad things, I was here training.

Rebecca is also passionate about inspiring

young women, helping to tackle some of the issues

they face every day.

If girls want to come in, sometimes they're a bit shy,

so it builds their confidence, and gives a bit of self-esteem,

and it also helps them to keep fit and active.

As a young teenager I was bullied, so I thought that...

I did boxing before but I thought that by getting more into it

and training more, it might help me to focus my mind on something else.

And I just think that it's a great sport

and I love all my training and I love every minute of it.

From a young age, Rebecca trained in martial arts.

My dad always wanted me to do something in martial arts.

Me and my sister wanted to go to under-18 raves.

He said, "No way, unless you start protecting yourself.

"I really want you to learn something in self-defence."

We just took to Thai boxing and loved it.

So, yeah, we carried on from there.

Dig in. Dig in. Dig in.

Ten seconds. Come on, push it. Ten...nine...

Rebecca inherited her spirit and determination from her dad, Gary.

Outlook on life. Yeah, I think you've got to,

whatever it throws at you,

you've got just got to take it and carry on.

You can't dwell on the past, you've just got to think of the future.

You only get one life, live it.

My dad was a bus driver.

Someone had been dinging the bell,

my dad got up to see what the issue was.

It ended in him getting assaulted, stabbed a couple of times,

bottled, left him paralysed down one side of the face.

Let's go. Matthew, come on.

One...

I had a strong family background

that always supported what me and my sister did.

But some of the young people we work with don't have that.

To have that structure in their lives when they come here,

knowing it's the same routine,

knowing they can get something out of it,

I think is a big tick in the box for them.

She's always wanted to help people,

and she's one of my best coaches as well. She's a really good coach.

she pushes me to my limit really.

She makes me the best boxer I can be.

For her part in helping others

to achieve great things, Rebecca is carrying the baton

on the royal barge Gloriana.

A great experience. Didn't mind the weather. Didn't mind the rain.

Just to be able to stand there and hold the Queen's Baton

was really, really good. A once-in-a-lifetime.

For 34 days, the baton has travelled through the British Isles.

From the Channel Islands to the Isle of Man,

Northern Ireland, Wales and England.

And now...

..the baton's journey turns firmly to the north.

It crosses the border into Scotland

at historical Coldstream, on the banks of the Tweed.

The high road to Glasgow is just a few short steps

across the bridge that separates Scotland from England.

And what better way to seal the handover of the baton...

than with "ae fond kiss"...

as England's Daley Thompson passes the baton

to Scottish athlete Eilidh Child.

You are the first holder of the baton in Scotland.

How does this feel for you?

Yeah, it's a complete honour. I'm just delighted to do this.

Yeah, it's nice to have it back in Scotland

The baton's journey now continues through Scotland,

to its final destination and the opening ceremony of the games.

All round the Commonwealth,

there have been thousands of batonbearers,

each with their own story,

but all connected by the Queen's Baton Relay.