The Queen's Baton Relay

Now on BBC News, time for our weekly look at the progress of the queens

bat on relay ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this summer.

In July, the Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow. For the last,

the battle has been an amazing journey. It has troubled almost

118,000 miles through 64, modern nations and territories. For the

next 74 days, it will journey throughout the whole of the British

Isles. As the clock ticks down to Glasgow, we are following the baton

bearers who will carry the queens bat on in the final stages of its

momentous journey. It has got to be one of the best moments in my life.

It is amazing, I have but goose pimples. This is just the greatest

honour I can think of, really. As the baton heads off on the last

leg of its journey, we will meet some of the bearers 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. What I would like to do is try and inspire you to

change your life. And some are simply being honoured for their grit

and determination. The baton's journey around the

British Isles starts here on the Sunni island of Jersey. Who better

to bring the baton ashore than Tom Daley? A true champion and

Ambassador of tradition bought. Tom's success in the pool has

inspired thousands of young people. I'm really excited about the

Commonwealth Games. It's getting closer and this makes it feel real,

like it is about to happen, so it's really exciting. From Jersey, baton

desert 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 is the turn of the

island's schoolchildren to savour a moment they will never forget. And,

on Sark's larger neighbour, Guernsey, the baton is making its

way around all of the schools on the island. For seven`year`old Katie, it

is a very special moment. I was picked it because I have cerebral

palsy, but it doesn't stop me from doing anything. 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. Lucy is 15 years old and

has battled serious health problems all her life. Despite this, she

campaigned tirelessly for an organ donation charity. For all the good

work, she was to carry the battle from her home to a nearby island. ``

to carry the baton. Unfortunately, her health has robbed her of that

chance. She is back in Belfast children's hospital, a place she

knows well. She has been coming here since she was eight years old. I

think I had noticed her eyes were a little bit yellow, and I thought,

that is a bit strange. You see had contracted a rare and

life`threatening disease that meant her blood cells are attacking and

destroying her liver. Doctors gathered the family together to

deliver the news that would turn their world upside down. She would

die unless she had an immediate liver transplant. In the simplest

terms, he explained this to her, she was eight at that stage. She

understood and he said, do you have any questions? After a while, she

said, will it hurt? I don't remember being frightened. The whole thing

was so fast, you don't have time to be frightened. You take in what they

say, but you don't realise how big it is. The wait for a liver could

take months, but she did not have months. Miraculously, it never

became available and surgery was scheduled to go ahead the very next

morning. That night was a night of... Of so many mixed emotions, and

thinking, this could work, but this could be the last night we will

spend with her. I remember going down to the theatre. They were

wheeling me on my bed, and everybody was around me, my mum, and dad, and

Alice, and I think they were all quite worried at that point. But I

remember going down, sengi to them, you know, don't worry. `` sailings

to them. Although, at first, it looked like the transplant had been

a success, the months that followed the new leather began to fail. She

would have to go through a second transplant operation. We tried a few

things, but nothing seems to be taking in all stop they then said,

look, we are afraid that this is going to mean a second transplant.

Her parents were worsted in `` once again faced with breaking the

devastating news. It was a shock. We never thought it wouldn't work. She

said, look, I can't do this any more. I'm only eight, and I either

want to get better, or I want to die. But I can't do this any more. I

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

There's not much of a choice. You can either go for it or you don't.

You just kind of have to get on with it. Six years on, and the second

operation has been a success. She 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 have been a

fun day, as well. Up until this morning, she did not think she would

carry the baton. But the games' organisers have sprung a surprise

for her. I don't thing she knows what's going to happen, but it will

be very exciting. The crowd had gathered to see Northern Ireland's

sporting legend Mary Peters carried the baton, but she is not the only

baton bearer here today. Lucy will get a chance to carry it after all.

Through all the adventures we have been in the last three years, I

would say it is her strength and her own quiet grace that has held us

through all of this. What makes special, as well, has to be that we

recognise that we could have lost her. At age eight but she is still

here. Life is short. You never know when the next thing might come up,

but I think that's the point, we have to just take every day and live

it, and then see what you do tomorrow.

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

might be waning year, but there is no dumping the spirits of the

thousands who turned out to cheer on the baton bearers. The macro ``

baton will spend the next few days travelling to the top of Mount

Snowdon. The Bay is home to non`Evans, who has broken records by

competing in three separate sports, and has also played rugby for the

country. What does it take to become a super athlete? I was always into

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

have always been very competitive, and people as, where does it come

from, trying to prove yourself all the time? I always had to have an

aim, or a goal, and every single day I would get up in the morning, do my

training, and train every night, every weekend, and I always wanted

to be the best at everything. Being the best took her 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 the gym one day and someone came up to me and

said, you are lifting a lot of weight for your body weight, why

don't you compete? I said, OK! I competed in a local championship,

the Welsh championship, and then in the Commonwealth Games. I became the

first person to competing two separate sports at one Commonwealth

Games. In an outstanding career, she has picked up silver medals for judo

and when 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 is strange, when you retire from sport,

the accolade start coming. I went into this port Hall Of Fame, I was

the first female rugby player to get an MBE for services to sport. I have

had every honour I think you could get, but it came at a point which

marked the end of my career. So, instead of being happy about it,

using, it is brilliant, but it is because I had finished. Maybe as I

get older and look back, I will appreciate it more.

She has been a winner for over two decades. Her vocals, determination,

and ultimately her achievements made her an obvious baton bearer. And her

big day is in Llanelli, a place close to her heart. Seeing such a

huge crowd here in my hometown, where I was brought up, is

brilliant. I am honoured to be part of such big occasion. For her, it is

like that winning feeling all over again. It is amazing, I have got

goose pimples all over me, as you can see. It is this big honour to be

the first person to carry it, as well. It is a huge occasion, I am so

honoured 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 Albert has been chosen to

carry the baton in recognition for his tireless work with the

Lancashire County Blind cricket team. I was absolutely knocked out

when I found out I had been asked to be a baton bearer. It is a

tremendous honour and a privilege. For as long as he can remember,

Ralph has been in love with cricket. But in 2012, his light took an id

and desperate turn. An ordinary night out at the cinema turned into

a frightening experience. He felt dizzy and found out he could not see

and became apparent something was seriously wrong. Suddenly, he

realised he could not sleep. It was not because it was dark. We were

really frightened. He had suffered a small stroke and it had damaged his

eyes. He lost 80% of his vision. I can describe it as looking through a

piece of polythene. I could see shapes and colours but not fine

detail. The thought of not being able to play cricket again was a

huge disappointment. The realisation that this is what I have got and

this is my eyesight and it will not get any better and I must get used

to it, that was probably one of the lowest points I have experienced, to

be honest. But for him, hope was just around the corner. It was his

beloved sport of cricket that would help him come to terms with this

tragedy and help him rebuild his life. A colleague of mine told me

about the visually impaired cricket team and I did not know there was

one. I went along to one of their training sessions and it was

absolutely brilliant. It was brilliant. I loved it. He plays with

this local cricket team and the team came top of the line and cricket

league in 2012. He and some of the other players have partial sight but

others have no sight at all. `` top of the league. I must make sure I am

ready and as I let go of the ball I must shout play so he knows that the

ball is on its way. He listens for the noise that all is making. Plain

and visually impaired cricket has made a huge difference to my

personal well`being, mentally and physically. That was the turning

point. He started to get joy back in his life. It was hope for the future

and when his mood started to lift. I no longer go to bed and think I will

go to bed in the morning and my eyesight will be as good as it was

when I wake up. I do not think like that any more. As well as

rediscovering his own up with a game he has taken things a step further.

He works with a local cricket charity which helps other people

live their lives to the full stop my outlook is very different now. I

have always been optimistic. I am looking forward to many more years

of playing cricket and helping other people. I want to help bring young

people through into the game. Yes, I do feel that I have got my husband

back. Back at the velodrome, Ralph is getting ready to carry the bat

on. It is brilliant. He has turned his life around and today is about

celebration. His journey here would not have been possible if that was

not for the power of sport which changed his life. That is something

that will live with me or ever. It is an honour, definitely one of the

best moments of my life. What a relief, though. I am glad I did not

drop it! From the North of England, we travel down the motorway to

Birmingham. The crowds are out in great numbers. For 30 years, this

man has been at the heart of his community. This community is quite

deprived. It is in the top 5% most deprived neighbourhoods in the

country. Is this a good area or bad area? It was once a good area but

now the younger people make a completely different. It does not

matter what qualification they have, they will not get a job. That is

correct. There have been serious disturbances... In 2011 as serious

rioting took place across Britain, he witnessed his community terror

itself apart. One night during the riots, he and his assistant were

working at the petrol station he owns. We saw a number of masked

people coming towards the shop and they broke all of the windows. They

were using sledgehammers and I grabbed my assistant and we hid in

the back. All hell broke loose. They ransacked the property and took all

of the cigarettes and the alcohol. We were trapped in the back. After

three days of rioting and looting, everything he had worked for had

been destroyed. For many people, their first reaction with the anger,

but for him, it was different. It was an unanswered question. Why did

all of this happen? I wanted to explore this, possibly more out of

curiosity than anger. I did not have any anger towards the people. As

part of a justice scheme, he was given the chance to meet one of his

attackers and he was happy to do so. Recounting the story of what

happened to me and the impact it had on my family, we talked along those

lines and I learned a bit more about him. I said to my friend, you can

have a hard time in your life and you can come back and I would like

to try and inspire you to change your life. In the months that

follows, he met with a young man to try and turn his life around. For 30

years he has been inspiring young people in his area and he believes

in the power of sport to change lives. Here we are in Mansfield and

it is our youth club. This youth club is a converted 40 foot shipping

container right in the middle of Aston. It may be about as basic as

you can find, but for the local young people who come here, it makes

a difference. On an average day we have about 40 children coming here

every day. We play cricket and football. I played badminton and

cricket. He is an amazing person. If there was a knighthood available, he

would get that. For now, the knighthood can wait. For now, he is

quite happy to join in the Queens Baton Relay. Sport can really change

peoples lives. The young people, there is a lot of life skills that

they can get from sport, communication, teamwork, and also it

gives them confidence to really go out there and make something of

their lives. That is me done for today. It has been an absolutely

amazing event and an amazing moment in my life, I must say. Sport means

an awful lot to me and to be part of this is the greatest honour that I

can engulf. The Queens Baton Relay makes its way south to London and it

is the turn of the capital to celebrate its arrival. The city has

made a fuss. A stone's throw in the 70 `` centre of the city is the

borough of Lambeth. It is home to Rebecca Donnelly. She is a proud

Londoner and has offered hope and ambition to inner`city children

through boxing. My passion was martial arts and I went into boxing.

Lots of people help me out and change my life. I was involved in

mentoring and I was top that nothing was possible and I think that every

young person needs that. It was something that was needed in the

area. In all, she now runs six clubs and they all help to keep young

lives on the straight and narrow. It changes lives because the sport has

the power to change, it is an intervention programme. Someone who

takes part in sports, it means they are not doing something else on the

streets, causing harm or trouble. If this club was not here, I think I

will be doing things I should not be doing. I think I will be more lazy,

probably out on the streets with the wrong people, doing the wrong

things, instead of doing my time and doing something constructive. She

was also passionate about inspiring young women. The girls when they

come in, sometimes they are shy but this builds their self`esteem. It

enables them to keep fit and keep act. As a young teenager, I was

bullied but I thought about getting more into it and I thought it might

help me to focus my mind. I think it is a great sport and I love all of

my training, every minute of it. Lets go, Matthew, come on! I had a

strong family background and I was always supported, as was my sister.

But some of the young people we work with do not have that and it is

important to give them structure. She has always wanted to help people

and she is one of the best coaches. She is really good. She pushes me to

my absolute limit and makes me their best I can be. Or her part in

helping to do great things, she is carrying the Queens bat on in the

Royal barge. I did not mind the weather, the rain, just to hold this

was absolutely wonderful. But 34 days the Queens Baton Relay has

travelled through the British Isles. For that `` from the Channel Islands

to the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, England and Wales, but now

the journey goes northwards. It crosses the border into Scotland.

The high road to Glasgow is just a pew short steps across this bridge

that separate Scotland from England. `` is just a few short steps. What

better way to seal the handover than with a Fond Kiss? England's Daley

Thompson passes the Batten to any child. You either first holder in

Scotland. How do you feel? It is an absolute honour. It is great to have

this back in Scotland. The journey continues through Scotland, to its

final destination and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

All around the Commonwealth have been thousands of people who have

taken part, each with their own story but all of them connect with

the Queens Baton Relay. Good morning. It is a