A DEVOTED young Evesham fund-raiser will be among those hitting the streets when the Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in the Vale on the final countdown to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Kiaragh Brown has been selected to carry the baton when it arrives in Pershore next Friday (July 22) in recognition of her staggering efforts to raise £30,000 for the charities she has supported, including Pancreatic Cancer UK.
The Year 12 Prince Henry’s High School student was nominated for her tireless charity and community work over the past four years.
Kiaragh is a youth ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK (left), has raised money for British Heart Foundation and has been instrumental in getting a defibrillator installed in Church Lench and Rous Lench.
The dedicated charity champion also works in an Evesham soup kitchen and participates in a wide range of activities both in and out of school.
Evesham’s MP Nigel Huddleston was on hand to congratulate her on being selected to participate and Prince Henry’s headteacher Dr Tony Evans hailed Kiaragh as a ‘model student’.
“What I find most humbling is the way in which Kiaragh has achieved so much outside of school, all the while quietly and conscientiously attending Prince Henry’s, working hard and gaining excellent feedback from all of her teachers,” he said.
“She is a model student, who perfectly encapsulates the community values that the school espouses and who still finds time to participate in the school’s own charity fund-raising and extra-curricular events, without ever boasting about her own fund-raising successes.”
As a batonbearer, Kiaragh will also be invited to the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on July 28). Among those performing will be Honeybourne-based Irish dancers Chloe English and Leah Perkins with Harriet Long and Charlotte Baguley from Worcester.
Crowds are expected to line the streets when relay passes through Broadway and Pershore on its way to the Second City for the start of this year’s games.
The Wychavon leg will start about 1.05pm in Broadway when four batonbearers will carry it along Station Road from the Cheltenham Road junction to the roundabout on the High Street.
There will be entertainment in the village from 11am including stilt walkers, face painting and circus skills to help crowds get into the spirit of the occasion.
The baton will be then transported to Broadway Tower for about 1.24pm where a short celebration event will take place until the baton leaves at 1.49pm. Entertainment will be on offer at the landmark from 11.30am.
Pershore will welcome the baton at about 2.31pm with four batonbearers carrying it from Bridge Street up to the High Street and to the junction with Cherry Orchard at 2.41pm. Entertainment will be on offer from midday.
Road closures will be in place along the routes while the Baton is making its way through Broadway and Pershore. These include Station Road in Broadway, from the Cheltenham Road junction to the roundabout on the High Street for 20 minutes between 12.35pm and 2.05pm. All High Street parking will be suspended from Springfield Lane to the roundabout during these times.
Delays should also be expected on the Childswickham Road and Cheltenham Road areas near the long stay car park. Traffic control measures will be in place to allow the Baton relay convoy to depart the long stay car park on Childswickham Road and enter the road closure area.
In Pershore, Bridge Street up to the Cherry Orchard junction on the High Street will be closed for a maximum of 20 minutes between 2pm and 3.30pm. All roadside parking will be suspended on the High Street from Broad Street to the Cherry Orchard junction from 1.30pm up to 3.30pm. There will also be delays on the B4084 by Pershore College and the Pensham Hill Junction as traffic control measures will be in place to allow the Baton relay convoy to depart Pershore College and enter the road closure area.
Although the Baton relay organisers are confident they will arrive at the advertised times, they can be anywhere from 30 minutes early to up to one hour late. This could affect relay and road closure timings.
