Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games - Queens Baton Relay

This trio of inspirational young people have all been nominated as Batonbearers to recognise their remarkable achievements.

Noah was only nine when he faced a gruelling battle to walk again after medics discovered a cancerous tumour fused to his spine. He spent his 10th birthday in hospital before travelling to America for proton treatment leaving him away from his family and five siblings for more than eight weeks.

Noah, a member of 1st Bilston Scouts, received the Pride of Bilston award for his bravery and inspiration to others and has received the Chief Scout Personal Award in recognition of his courage for his medical treatment and ongoing issues. He is currently fundraising for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to attend the 25th World Scout Jamboree to be held next year in South Korea.

As a community-minded young person, 15-year-old Noah is also a member of the Bilston Youth Ambassadors and is keen to improve Bilston for Young People in the city.

Keisha is committed to making sure the voices of young people are heard and is determined to give back to her local community. She volunteers at the city-based Strive, which provides young people with activities during school holidays, and attends a Saturday school to teach young people about black history.

The 15-year-old has also completed peer mentor training and volunteered at HeadStart Wolverhampton to provide young people with support. Keisha is also passionate about the arts and its ability to engage young peoples’ creativity.

She has also been involved in the Youth Engagement Board, is a representative on the city’s Youth Council and is Chair of the Bilston Youth Ambassadors.  

Twenty-one-year-old Megan is extremely passionate about improving the lives of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families in Wolverhampton. 

She is an active member of HY5! Youth Forum and the Culture of Inclusion Project, representing the voices and opinions of other young people, shining a light on important things and working with others to drive change where it matters most. 

Just some of the things Megan has done over the past 18 months include helping to develop a training package for professionals who work with children and young people with SEND, sharing experiences of Covid-19 to help develop recovery plans and meeting with police to discuss how to better engage with young people.

Jeni was nominated for the committed care and support she has shown for young people across the West Midlands for many years.
She is a retired foster carer who has looked after an amazing 21 children and young people, aged from 2 to 18, and manages a team of employability mentors who work with disadvantaged young people across the Midlands.

In addition, Jeni gives her time as a Mayor’s Mentor, part of a scheme to help give young people the life skills and advice they need to flourish, and a 1 Million Mentor, supporting young people with their careers and aspirations.

She has also volunteered at events for the Commonwealth Games at West Park and Cannock Chase.

And packed into her diary, Jeni is also an active member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Sport 4 Life, Digbeth, Birmingham.

Amelia provides a meaningful contribution to sport at St Edmund's Catholic Academy and in 2020 was part of a team who won gold at the British Schools Gymnastics Championships. 

She has completed the Gold Care Award in school and contributed successfully to charity fundraising and 1:1 mentoring. 
Within the local community, Amelia has become a Youth Commissioner for West Midlands Police.

Multi-talented Amelia also represents England at karate, in the disciplines of Kumite and Kata, and has been selected to represent her country this autumn in the European Championships in Romania and the Internationals in Luxembourg.  

While she trains extremely hard every week, she also coaches others in the region in her own time and for free, supporting everyone aged from 5 to 65.

Sankiran set up a mixed cricket club at her school, The Khalsa Academy in Bilston, enabling her to share her skills and wider knowledge to others who also have an interest in the sport. 

One of her passions is to care for the wellbeing of others. Not just through sports, but holistically, helping them and taking into account all aspects of the individual. 

Her love of sports has been a real benefit to Sankiran; they don’t just her keep active, but help her to keep a positive mindset and, especially during lockdown, stay happy.

Sankiran is aiming to go to university in September to study Sports Coaching and Development.

Reuben has suffered from a hearing impairment since he was born, but this hasn't stopped him being heavily involved in sport both in and out of school. 

He plays rugby outside of school for Wolverhampton RFU, taking part in regular matches and training. Alongside that, the talented youngster also swims for Wombourne Warriors. 

Reuben has become a massive asset to the P.E. department at Highfields School where he’s supported staff at primary sports hall athletics and multi-skills competitions and also refereed at dodgeball competitions. 

Reuben also uses his knowledge of rugby from outside of school and helps coach the younger school teams. He has recently qualified as a referee where he has officiated school and district games.

Wolves great Steve Bull MBE has been nominated to carry the Baton in recognition of his outstanding contribution and ongoing commitment to sport.

Celebrated for scoring a record 250 league goals and netting more than 300 times for Wolverhampton Wanderers over 13 seasons, Steve also played for England before coaching and working tirelessly for charity. 

Known by his fans as 'Bully' for his club loyalty, rapport with supporters and passion for the game, Steve received an MBE for services to Association Football in December 1999. 

Victoria, who attends Heath Park School, is described as a positive role model to everyone.

Her many achievements include running 100 miles during August 2020 to raise £330 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Victoria trains and volunteers as a coach at Wolverhampton Gymnastics Club where she has taken on the role of Head of Preschool, and has also founded and coaches a gymnastics club for younger students at her own school.

And it’s not just sports - at her St John Ambulance branch, Victoria has been awarded the rank of sergeant.

She helps to plan and run sessions for younger members, attending cadet leadership courses, public duties, parades and gives first aid at sporting events.

Dr Paul Darke was described as ‘an inspiration in the West Midlands’ in his Batonbearer nomination, made by his son Walker.

Paul, a wheelchair user since birth, has developed and delivered a number of projects across Wolverhampton on disability, health, heritage, history, theatre, cinema and sculpture.  

His much-loved Wolves in Wolves sculpture trail across the city was the largest public art exhibition in Wolverhampton, attracting many visitors and raising £50,000 for a number of local charities.

Paul has also worked to transform sports and fitness in the disabled community. He created Flourish2BU, a volunteer-led project helping disabled people to get more fit and improve their health and well-being. 

He is also committed to supporting the important work of suicide prevention in the city and plans to develop supportive creative initiatives during the next year including an exhibition at the Light House Media Centre.

Parmi is an award-winning social innovator and humanitarian, disability and Human Rights Activist, who advocates with and empowers underrepresented communities and unheard voices. 

She shares lived experiences with her youngest son Callum, a disabled and adventurous changemaker, whose journey keeps her driven and focused in working towards achieving disability rights and inclusion.

Parmi is the founder of the national ‘Include Me TOO’ charity, which works with disabled children, young people and their families from a diverse range of backgrounds. 

The charity develops a range of services, resources and training at local, national and international levels. Parmi has been recognised with a Queen’s Commonwealth Points of Light award for her work.

Leocadia created the Wolverhampton-based Utano Foundation which provides digital skills training for older people from ethnic minority groups. 

She set up the foundation to help tackle the existing gap around digital inclusion, and the project helps people to increase their digital skills as well as improve their health and wellbeing.

Leocadia has worked with a wide variety of organisations and communities, and her most recent work was with Active Black Country for their Get Out Get Active (GOGA) project.  

She successfully drew a link between providing activity with learning and is now introducing a new digital learning platform through Utano Foundation that combines fitness activity with e-learning.  

This online programme will include gym sessions, yoga classes, digital skills training and a number of other activities.

Councillor Gakhal, cabinet member for city assets and housing at City of Wolverhampton Council and ward member for Wednesfield South, was nominated for his work on the city’s Saragahri Monument, the first statute of its kind in the UK to commemorate the bravery of 19th century Sikh soldiers.

He worked closely with Wednesfield’s Guru Nanak Gurdwara to commission the monument, created by Black Country sculptor Luke Perry. The statue, a bronze figure of a Sikh solider, stands on land in Well Lane, Wednesfield, close to the Gurdwara.

Members of the congregation undertook a massive £100,000 fundraising programme for the monument, with donations made by the temple and the project supported by the community. 
 
City of Wolverhampton Council also contributed £35,000 towards the memorial after it agreed to transfer land to the Gurdwara on a 99-year lease.

The memorial commemorates the Battle of Saragarhi, a conflict which took place on September 12 1897. The conflict saw 21 soldiers from the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army, along with a Muslim cook and handyman, fight to the death defending an outpost against thousands of Afghan tribesmen.

Krystal, a pupil at Thomas Telford UTC, is described by her school as an esteemed sportswoman and a pillar of inspiration for her peers.

She has represented the school in prestigious sporting events and has been instrumental in the success of the school’s football team.

As the only female player, her school recognises this as a remarkable achievement. 

Lucie has always dreamt of competing at the Artistic Gymnastics British Championships and realised this dream in March when she qualified for a place.

But an injury during the competition meant she had to pull out without finishing all four pieces.

However, Lucie’s motto is ‘never give up’ and after three months of rehab, is now almost fully recovered and hoping to qualify again next year.

Outside of gymnastics, Lucie works just as hard at Wolverhampton Grammar School, getting great academic results and representing her school in sports.

She is very much looking forward to the Commonwealth Games, particularly to cheering on Alice Kinsella (England) and Mia Evans (Wales) who also train at Park Wrekin Gymnastics Club. 

She feels very honoured to have been chosen as a Batonbearer for the Queen’s Baton Relay. 

Laura will be carrying the Baton in memory of her daughter Skye.

Skye had been nominated to carry the Baton, but sadly the teenager died before knowing her nomination had been accepted and now her mum Laura will carry out the relay in her memory.

Skye, who had coronary heart disease (CHD), was just 14 when she passed away this March. She had been nominated to carry the Baton by her teachers at Westcroft School for her willingness to never give up no matter what life threw at her.

Laura said her daughter always had a smile and was a true inspiration to all who knew her. 

Chiman, from Bilston, has served the local and national community for more than forty years, working at Gloucester and Walsall councils and holding civil service posts in London. 

As a volunteer, Chiman has recruited and organised volunteers for all his charitable activities, including providing food for the homeless, the national vaccine programme implementation and eco-environmental (canal) clean up. He also volunteers at the Good Shepherd Ministry.

Still an active magistrate in the West Midlands, Chiman has a great interest in sporting activities and has volunteered at Edgbaston for the Cricket World Cup and the Birmingham Tennis Classic.

At the age of 11, Manpreet watched a film called Dangal - the story of a former wrestler who trains his daughters for the Commonwealth Games.

Inspired by this, she and her younger sister started wrestling - the only girls at their club. 

Undeterred by this, Manpreet continued to train and compete regularly and she is now part of the England Regional squad. 

As a female of Indian heritage she is a role model to other young people and sets the bar for what can be achieved with hard work and determination. 

A current member of Wolverhampton Wrestling Club, Manpreet’s ambition is to qualify as a coach and inspire others.

Sadie, who is currently Head Girl at University of Wolverhampton Wednesfield Academy, has been nominated for the honour of Batonbearer due to her huge contributions to school life and the wider Wednesfield community.

As part of her Head Girl role, she leads the student council to ensure that pupils voices are heard. 

Sadie also supports younger students within their lessons and is a mentor for a small group of Key Stage 3 students.

Outside of school, Sadie serves as a voluntary member of Wednesfield in Bloom and has also found time to produce pieces of artwork which she donated to a local animal charity to raise funds.

Anita is one of Britain's all-time greatest swimmers.
 
Her long list of achievements began at the age of just 16 with two golds for 220 yards breaststroke and 4 x 110 yards medley relay at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff.
 
Following that, Anita won gold at the Summer Olympics in 1960, setting a new world record time for the 200 metres breaststroke.
 
Two years later, at the Commonwealth Games in Perth, Anita swam her way to three gold medals in the 110 yards breaststroke, 220 yards breaststroke and 440 yards individual medley. She also won a silver as a member of England’s medley relay. 
 
Anita, who was born in York, also achieved success in European Championship races, notching up one gold, two silver and two bronze medals over the course of her career.
 
She is also the first woman to carry the British flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the first amateur sportswoman to receive the MBE and the first women to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
 
Anita will be carrying the Baton at WV Active Aldersley, where her husband and fellow Commonwealth Games champion, cyclist Hugh Porter MBE will be handing the Baton to her.

Shreen is a TV and radio presenter, World Hijab Day UK Ambassador, and Muslims Connect Founder. 

She is often in refugee camps worldwide, delivering lifesaving emergency aid and has raised nearly £300,000 in a few years to help humanitarian crisis and poverty worldwide such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Africa, Lebanon, and Palestine.

Shreen hosts community workshops and youth groups focussing on important issues such as domestic violence, Islamophobia, mental health and female empowerment. 
She also organises guided tours to Jerusalem, visiting sites important to all three Abrahamic faiths promoting peace. 

Shreen’s remarkable achievements have been recognised with a string of awards.

She has been awarded Peace Ambassador by the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) in the House of Commons, Best Community Initiative Finalist by British Muslim Awards and Unsung Heroine by SHE Awards UK

Anyika is a renowned British sprint, track and field athlete.

Her hugely successful career, which saw her compete in the 100, 200 and 400 metres as well as the 4 x 100metre and 4 x 400 metre relays, includes winning an Olympic bronze medal in Rio in 2016 as part of the British women’s 4 x 400metres relay.

Anyika helped set the British record in the women’s 4 x 100metre relay in August 2014, at the Diamond League in Zurich alongside Asha Philip, Ashleigh Nelson and Desiree Henry. The team broke the British record set just 11 days before at the 2014 European Athletics Championships.

And the athletics star is no stranger to the Commonwealth Games, having won a silver medal in the 4 x 100 metre relay with the English team at the Melbourne Games in 2006.

Although she lives in Liverpool, Anyika was unable to carry the Baton on the day it went through the city, so has chosen to come to Wolverhampton instead.

Hugh, one of Britain's greatest former professional cyclists, was nominated to carry the Queen’s Baton to recognise his lifelong commitment to the sport.

As well as winning Commonwealth Games gold in 1966, Hugh also won four world titles in the individual pursuit – more than any other rider. 

He was named Cycling Ambassador by City of Wolverhampton Council in 2021 to recognise his tremendous achievements.

In his ambassador role, Hugh acts as a figurehead for cycling in the city, helping to promote and support initiatives that show the council’s commitment to providing opportunities for residents to take up or continue cycling. 

Lisa has been nominated to carry the Baton in recognition of her exceptional bravery and ongoing commitment to children and young people.

Lisa, a former nursery teacher, was proclaimed as a heroine in 1996 when she protected children in her care from a machete-wielding attacker who burst into St Luke’s Primary School, Blakenhall. 

Aged just 21 at the time, she suffered severe injuries to her head, back and both arms as she prevented the attacker from reaching the children she was shielding. 

Her bravery was acknowledged by Her Majesty the Queen who awarded Lisa the George Medal.  

Since the attack, Lisa has done considerable charity work and founded the charity Believe 2 Achieve in 2001 which aims to encourage independence and increase self-esteem in children. 

Earlier this year, Lisa became the first Freewoman of the City, an honour bestowed by City of Wolverhampton Council in recognition of all she has done.

Melvin is a 20-year-old economics student, aspiring politician, public speaker and social/tech entrepreneur and has been a political activist and advocate for race equality, youth representation, mental health and empowerment for the past eight years. He is a voice for young people across the West Midlands and the UK tackling some of the biggest socio-economic problems facing us by implementing policy and campaigning.

Melvin has campaigned on mental health, knife crime, BLM, CSE, antibullying, race education in further education settings and reforming teacher qualifications to include microaggression training through an ongoing campaign called NOT so MICRO. 

He has worked with many youth groups locally and internationally including Wolverhampton Youth Council, West Midlands police as a youth police commissioner, the Model United Nations and The Diana Award as a young change maker. He is a member of the West Midlands race equality task force and is a Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games advocate for youth engagement.

Ranjit is one of the Commonwealth Games Hometown Heroes, the volunteers, coaches, managers, and grafters who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep grassroots sport alive.

He welcomes wrestlers of all ages and abilities through the doors of the wrestling club, based at Guru Nanak Satsang Sikh Gurdwara on the Cannock Road.

Extremely proud of how diverse the club is, Ranjit has helped produce national champions and Olympians.

On top of his sporting success, Ranjit transformed the club into a foodbank and distribution service during the first Covid lockdown of 2020. He also arranged for 1,500 pieces of PPE to be manufactured and distributed to day care centres across the country and made bespoke equipment for key frontline workers including West Midlands Police and local hospitals.

Since then and even as restrictions eased, Ranjit continued to offer this provision and rallied together a group of volunteers who serve food to around 300 members of the local community on a daily basis, including vulnerable and homeless people.

Lionel has raised £7,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of his beloved wife Linda.

To commemorate five years of losing her to a tumour, and to mark his 65th birthday, Lionel undertook his remarkable 65 Challenge.

This saw him swim 65 lengths of WV Active Central Baths pool, where he also works as a lifeguard, cycle 65 miles, then run 65 laps of Aldersley Stadium to raise money for the charity.

But the fundraising doesn’t stop there. Next year, to mark his 70th birthday and 10 years since losing Linda, Lionel will be facing a Relay Channel Challenge with friends to swim the English Channel.

The feat will again raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity along with Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Eighteen-year-old Thomas is autistic and attends Tettenhall Wood School for children and young adults with special educational needs.

He is host of the TWS Sports Podcast, a global podcast that promotes the amazing things people with autism can achieve.

The podcast, which interviews famous sportsmen and women, has won a global award for the best equality and social sports podcast.

Thomas, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of six, enjoys attending the gym, playing on his PS4 and reading.

He is described as kind, caring and funny and his mum Marie is immensely proud of all he has achieved.