:00:00. > :00:11.by her relatives. Medics say she's a risk to all. Now on BBC News, the
:00:12. > :00:15.Queen's Baton Relay. This week sees Scotland hosting one of the biggest
:00:16. > :00:21.sporting events in the world. The 20th Commonwealth Games. And to kick
:00:22. > :00:29.things off, the Queen's baton is coming to Glasgow. I'm proud of it,
:00:30. > :00:34.proud to be part of this. Last October, the baton set off on a
:00:35. > :00:41.momentous journey around the Commonwealth. And for the last 40
:00:42. > :00:51.days of its journey, over 4000 people have carried it across the
:00:52. > :00:54.host nation. The baton bearers are people who have dedicated their
:00:55. > :01:00.lives to helping others. If I can get them moving on in a game of
:01:01. > :01:04.table tennis, I can get them moving on in their life. People whose
:01:05. > :01:12.extraordinary achievements have been an inspiration. It was amazing. I
:01:13. > :01:16.was not the only one in a wheelchair. And people who have
:01:17. > :01:23.brought communities together. Sad, happy, excited and so proud. Every
:01:24. > :01:27.step of the baton's journey takes it closer to the final destination, the
:01:28. > :01:32.opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. It gives me the greatest
:01:33. > :01:44.pleasure to declare the 20th Commonwealth Games open.
:01:45. > :01:52.The baton's journey in Scotland will span the length and breadth of the
:01:53. > :01:56.country, covering more than 2400 miles. It will travel through
:01:57. > :02:03.breathtaking landscapes and incredible coastline. This ambitious
:02:04. > :02:12.route will take it to communities in the country's Father's Day and most
:02:13. > :02:20.remote corners. The first stop is the capital, Edinburgh.
:02:21. > :02:29.Today, the city is out to celebrate the arrival of the baton. It is
:02:30. > :02:33.important for everybody taking part. It is good for the communities, it's
:02:34. > :02:40.great. Although Glasgow was hosting the games, the diving events will be
:02:41. > :02:53.held here in Edinburgh. And as the Games get ever closer, preparations
:02:54. > :02:56.are well under way to make a splash. Behind every athlete is a
:02:57. > :03:08.hard`working team of coaches and volunteers. One is baton bearer,
:03:09. > :03:11.Francis Smith. She has been a volunteer at the city's leading
:03:12. > :03:17.swimming club for 29 years. Coaching is wonderful. It is getting to know
:03:18. > :03:24.the children and working with them and seeing them improve and trying
:03:25. > :03:27.to help them to become more all`round swimmers as well as faster
:03:28. > :03:34.swimmers and to enjoy the whole experience. 54 years ago, as a
:03:35. > :03:40.16`year`old, she was selected to represent Scotland. Now, she works
:03:41. > :03:45.hard to make sure the youngsters at this swimming club are able to enjoy
:03:46. > :03:56.their sport as much as she did. Five metres into the turn, ten metres
:03:57. > :04:01.out. Freestyle. OK, go! Francis is really nice. I think she is really
:04:02. > :04:12.nice and she does a very good job. She is really nice and funny. The
:04:13. > :04:16.fact that it has been recognised for myself and all the other volunteers
:04:17. > :04:19.as well, I think it is wonderful, especially for people who have never
:04:20. > :04:23.been heard of before and did not really think they were doing
:04:24. > :04:31.anything special. Now, they have been selected and here they are and
:04:32. > :04:35.it is great for them. As the baton's journey continues, it is
:04:36. > :04:49.passed from one local hero to the next. People who made a difference
:04:50. > :04:55.in their own way. In Tranent in East Lothian, the crowded out for Kyle
:04:56. > :05:02.Wood and his family. Frazee child, we learned he had severe brain
:05:03. > :05:07.damage, learning difficulty and epilepsy. It did not hold him back.
:05:08. > :05:14.He loved sport, music. But the sports, the athletics, was his main
:05:15. > :05:18.thing. He just loved to run. Kyle was a regular at the local
:05:19. > :05:23.disability sports club, Lothian Leopards. All he wanted to do was
:05:24. > :05:28.come down here and help others who were less able than himself. He had
:05:29. > :05:35.a little wee mantra he would always say to them: You can do it, just
:05:36. > :05:37.like me, just like I did. That is what he would say to the children
:05:38. > :05:45.over and over, just to get them involved. It was part of who Kyle
:05:46. > :05:57.was, really. Sadly, Kyle passed away earlier this year. His big sister
:05:58. > :06:02.Kai will take his place and carried the baton in his memory. We were all
:06:03. > :06:07.very sad but we did not want his nomination to go to waste, so here I
:06:08. > :06:10.am. It's comforting to know that Kyle has touched these people in
:06:11. > :06:13.some way, whether it be through the sports or his music or just for
:06:14. > :06:28.being Kyle. Sad, happy, excited. I'm being Kyle. Sad, happy, excited. I'm
:06:29. > :06:31.so proud. It is a bittersweet day but Kyle would have enjoyed it. He
:06:32. > :06:36.would have been here, running along with the rest of them, so for
:06:37. > :06:38.everybody to turn out in such support as well is just amazing,
:06:39. > :06:52.really amazing. As the baton moves through Scotland,
:06:53. > :06:56.ever closer to the spectacular opening ceremony in Glasgow, it is a
:06:57. > :07:10.chance for many small communities to celebrate their local heroes.
:07:11. > :07:13.Communities like Shotts. The once proud mining town, Shotts fell upon
:07:14. > :07:21.hard times after the mines closed in the 1960s. Over the years, the town
:07:22. > :07:32.has fought hard to get back on its feet. And one man has been doing his
:07:33. > :07:39.very best to help it on its way. I got involved in boxing when I was 11
:07:40. > :07:46.or 12 years old. It was my father who took me to the local boxing
:07:47. > :07:52.club. He was a great boxing fan. In his boxing career, Frank was no
:07:53. > :07:58.stranger to success, but it was when he retired that the sport was to
:07:59. > :08:02.become even more important. When I stopped boxing, it was a few years
:08:03. > :08:08.later when a guy came by and asked me if I would be interested in
:08:09. > :08:16.coaching some young guys in the village. I thought I would try it
:08:17. > :08:22.and I tried it and it is almost 40 years later now and I'm still doing
:08:23. > :08:28.it. Run entirely on a voluntary basis, the boxing club did not have
:08:29. > :08:35.a permanent home until recently, when they took over an old derelict
:08:36. > :08:39.school. This was a classroom. There were three separate classrooms and
:08:40. > :08:42.the first thing we decided to do was to make it into one room, so we
:08:43. > :08:46.knocked down the petitions and what have you. We were not sure where to
:08:47. > :08:51.put everything around, whether to have it here, but it is up there
:08:52. > :08:58.now. `` we were not sure where to put the ring. I was quite a heavy
:08:59. > :09:01.kid and I was younger but I kept coming back to the gym and stuck
:09:02. > :09:06.with it all the time through all the hard times and eventually, good
:09:07. > :09:14.things started to come and it all fell into place. This year, three
:09:15. > :09:21.boxers from the club will be competing at the Commonwealth Games.
:09:22. > :09:27.They got a bit of a taste of the boxing life after I met Frank and I
:09:28. > :09:32.just took to it. That has been my calling, representing Scotland all
:09:33. > :09:38.over the world. Sport lets you travel the world and meet new people
:09:39. > :09:42.and become a confident person. Boxing has given me a lot of
:09:43. > :09:47.confidence. Frank has given me a lot of confidence. And I have gained
:09:48. > :09:53.pretty much my whole life through boxing. As Frank's moment
:09:54. > :10:00.approaches, the crowds are out to cheer him on. It is promising to be
:10:01. > :10:09.a knockout today for everyone. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. There are
:10:10. > :10:14.areas like Shotts all over the country. The potential that you have
:10:15. > :10:16.in some of these areas is breathtaking and it does not get
:10:17. > :10:27.exploited, it does not get explored. Things like boxing clubs,
:10:28. > :10:32.judo clubs, football clubs, they can give people an opportunity to get on
:10:33. > :10:37.in life. How, Georgie! That was fantastic! I will never forget that.
:10:38. > :10:55.One of the best things that has ever happened to me. Quite excited,
:10:56. > :11:00.yeah. I can feel my wee heart going! It has been 14 days on the road for
:11:01. > :11:11.the baton and the next stop is Dundee. It is home to baton bearer
:11:12. > :11:15.Elisabeth Beresford. Having friends and family following me, it was like
:11:16. > :11:27.this be of people moving up the road. It was awesome. It was just
:11:28. > :11:33.amazing. Originally from Northern Ireland, Elizabeth moved to Dundee
:11:34. > :11:36.to study medicine in 2008 but life took an unexpected turn when she was
:11:37. > :11:44.diagnosed with Bechet 's disease. I had been unwell for a while but in
:11:45. > :11:49.2010, it became clear there was something not quite right. Bechet 's
:11:50. > :11:54.disease is a rare blood disorder. For Elizabeth, the early symptoms
:11:55. > :12:00.caused blindness in her right eye and then started to affect her
:12:01. > :12:04.lungs. I thought I had the flu and went along to the GP and said that
:12:05. > :12:07.my chest felt quite rubbish and I was admitted to hospital with
:12:08. > :12:12.pneumonia and it all went wrong on there. Over the next few months, as
:12:13. > :12:17.her condition worsened, there were many trips to the hospital. The
:12:18. > :12:23.final blow was when the information spread to her spine, leaving her
:12:24. > :12:28.paralysed on the waist down. I was like, what do I do with myself? Sit
:12:29. > :12:33.at home and watch daytime television? I was not fit enough to
:12:34. > :12:38.do anything. I could not have pushed a broom around the kitchen. I could
:12:39. > :12:47.not have done it. It nearly broke me. It was very difficult. In 2012,
:12:48. > :12:52.as the Paralympics took centre stage in London, Elizabeth and her mother
:12:53. > :13:02.took a trip that was to change her life. It was amazing because I was
:13:03. > :13:07.just like, wow! I'm not the only one in a chair. The plan was to go back
:13:08. > :13:14.to university that year and this was a catalyst to say that I can do
:13:15. > :13:18.this. Inspired by the Paralympic athletes, Elizabeth was keen to get
:13:19. > :13:22.her life back on track. She moved back to Dundee to resume her medical
:13:23. > :13:31.degree and wanted to start playing sport again. When I came back to
:13:32. > :13:34.Dundee, I was a wheelchair user and had a taste of sport. I realised
:13:35. > :13:41.there was nowhere to take part in active chair of sport. So she
:13:42. > :13:47.decided to start her own. I just thought, there has to be more than
:13:48. > :13:51.me. I cannot be the only one. I did not know anyone else in the area in
:13:52. > :13:57.a wheelchair and I thought, how can I do this? LAUGHTER. With no prior
:13:58. > :14:02.experience and no access to funding, it was not easy getting
:14:03. > :14:06.started but by March of the following year, Dundee Dragons
:14:07. > :14:12.wheelchair sports club had its launch day. People came along and
:14:13. > :14:17.got stuck in and some of the people behind me came in first day and have
:14:18. > :14:21.been with us ever since. I like the feeling that I can do something
:14:22. > :14:25.because sometimes I get upset when I go out with my friends and they are
:14:26. > :14:28.all on bikes and things and it is good to know that I'm good at
:14:29. > :14:33.something that they cannot do. I can do something good. We have people
:14:34. > :14:36.who have represented Scotland at wheelchair rugby league and
:14:37. > :14:39.wheelchair basket all. We have people who want to go to the
:14:40. > :14:46.Paralympics and they will. They have the talent and they will. I want to
:14:47. > :14:51.be like her when I grow up. Have a car, go to university, pursue my
:14:52. > :14:55.dreams. She has a completely normal life and does not let her do
:14:56. > :15:05.disability define what she does. That is what I want to do with my
:15:06. > :15:09.life as well. I always encourage people that whatever it is, get out
:15:10. > :15:11.there and enjoy yourself because you will finally progress and that is
:15:12. > :15:30.the way to do it. As the baton moves to the scenic
:15:31. > :15:40.Highlands of Scotland, it is given a warm welcome. In Inverness, or one
:15:41. > :15:45.young girl has been chosen to carry the baton for her exceptional
:15:46. > :15:52.sporting talent. Already a world champion twice over, Olivia won her
:15:53. > :15:55.first title when she was just five. Ever since I was a young woman, mum
:15:56. > :16:02.and dad said I might go to the Olympics. They always said that and
:16:03. > :16:09.they have always encouraged me to do it. Olivia started martial arts at
:16:10. > :16:15.the age of three. She was a bit of a handful. I was at the German and I
:16:16. > :16:23.found a leaflet that said, does your child need more self`discipline and
:16:24. > :16:28.self`confidence? We signed her up. Treating five nights a week for nine
:16:29. > :16:32.years, Olivia is on her way to the top of the sport. She is now focused
:16:33. > :16:42.on representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. It gives
:16:43. > :16:50.them focus. Olivia is a great student. She is a happy girl all the
:16:51. > :17:01.time. The sky is the limit for somebody as talented as her. It was
:17:02. > :17:13.really good. I just enjoyed every second of it. It went really quick.
:17:14. > :17:16.It felt like ten seconds. After 36 days on the road, the baton has
:17:17. > :17:24.travelled through hundreds of towns and villages. It has been in the
:17:25. > :17:31.hands of thousands of baton bearers. It has been welcomed by people all
:17:32. > :17:36.over Scotland. And now it heads to its final destination, Glasgow. Home
:17:37. > :17:55.to the 20th Commonwealth Games. In less than three days, the Queen
:17:56. > :17:58.will declare the 2014 games open. And local communities are taking
:17:59. > :18:15.this opportunity to honour their upcoming sporting talent. Originally
:18:16. > :18:18.from Somalia, baton Berrow moved to Scotland and he was just seven years
:18:19. > :18:26.old. Making a life in a new country was not easy for him. But his love
:18:27. > :18:30.of sport was to change all that. It made it a lot easier to make friends
:18:31. > :18:33.when you are doing sport. You are surrounded by people who are the
:18:34. > :18:39.same as you. You might come from different backgrounds, but you have
:18:40. > :18:47.that one thing in common. You just feel together. My plans for the
:18:48. > :18:48.future is I would like to hopefully reach the Commonwealth Games in
:18:49. > :19:01.2018. I would like to compete. Although I
:19:02. > :19:07.am originally from Somalia, I feel more Scottish than I do Somalian.
:19:08. > :19:15.That is the country I would like to represent. It felt incredible. You
:19:16. > :19:25.get to see all the faces of people you recognise. It was really good.
:19:26. > :19:33.Just at the outskirts of Glasgow lies Drumchapel. Terry is a local
:19:34. > :19:39.boy and has lived here since he was seven. Drumchapel is a massive
:19:40. > :19:46.housing scheme. It was 37,000 people. It was overpopulated and
:19:47. > :19:54.there was not a lot to do. There were too many of us. There was no
:19:55. > :20:05.sports centre. It only had three badminton courts. We made our own
:20:06. > :20:09.entertainment. The crowded housing estates had more than their fair
:20:10. > :20:17.share of problems. And Terry fell into bad company growing up. Over
:20:18. > :20:25.the years, I was in a gang. We never got into any trouble. But that was
:20:26. > :20:32.the way it was. I would not come down here if I was young. One
:20:33. > :20:38.evening when he was 15, his life was to change for ever. One day somebody
:20:39. > :20:42.asked me to go into a youth club. I went into the youth club and I never
:20:43. > :20:46.forgot it. They were playing badminton. There was a music room,
:20:47. > :20:58.there was a pool room. There were five tennis `` table tennis tables.
:20:59. > :21:02.I kept going. There was no looking back for Terry. He wanted to use
:21:03. > :21:09.table tennis to inspire people the way it had done for him. He started
:21:10. > :21:16.his own club. It came with its own challenges. We only had one table. I
:21:17. > :21:23.was not very good for putting in the grants. We struggled and kept going.
:21:24. > :21:39.But the more I kept it going, the more kids I was getting to come. And
:21:40. > :21:44.that kept Terry going. I can see kids playing. It does not matter
:21:45. > :21:55.what level. If I can get them moving, it will help them in their
:21:56. > :22:05.life. That is my story. Somebody gave me a bat, I never let it go.
:22:06. > :22:17.All the hard work paid off. Today the club has over 400 members
:22:18. > :22:22.training every week. Terry is just so enthusiastic about the sport.
:22:23. > :22:29.Talk to anybody who knows him. The west have good things to say for
:22:30. > :22:37.them. `` they always have. Such an inspiration. In table tennis all
:22:38. > :22:45.over Scotland. He has been a great mover and shaker in the community.
:22:46. > :22:50.And Visio, 25 years after the club first opened its doors, there is a
:22:51. > :22:56.very special cause for celebration. `` this year. I am very proud of
:22:57. > :23:11.what I have achieved. It has been fantastic. I have just learned that
:23:12. > :23:18.you can help kids. All my kids have got jobs. Plumbers, electricians,
:23:19. > :23:32.somewhere at university. It gives them discipline. It gives
:23:33. > :23:36.them a focus. You can see the change. Sometimes they come in and
:23:37. > :23:43.are quite rough and tumble. But then they are entirely different. Terry
:23:44. > :23:49.was just one of 4000 baton bearers who carried the baton the length and
:23:50. > :23:53.breadth of Scotland. Now after 288 days on the road, the baton finally
:23:54. > :23:55.heads to Celtic Park for the opening ceremony of the 20th Commonwealth
:23:56. > :24:44.Games. `` 28. 288 days ago, the Queen placed a
:24:45. > :24:48.message inside the baton. And now it returns to her to be read to the
:24:49. > :25:01.assembled athletes and audience from around the Commonwealth. Together,
:25:02. > :25:08.all play a part in the strengthening our friendships in this modern and
:25:09. > :25:11.vibrant association of nations. It now gives me the greatest pleasure
:25:12. > :25:54.to declare the 20th Commonwealth Games open.
:25:55. > :26:00.So the baton's journey is over. The message has been read. And the games
:26:01. > :26:06.are well and truly under way. It has been an interesting week of
:26:07. > :26:16.weather. Heat and thunderstorms in some
:26:17. > :26:17.places. The message through this weekend is