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Queen’s Baton Relay visit set to be a Summer highlight

Visitor Information

On Friday 22 May the Arboretum will host the Royal British Legion's 'Remembering the Iraq War - 15 Years On' event. The Arboretum will be busier than normal, and all visitors are encouraged to book parking in advance to guarantee entry to site.

Access to the RBL event area to the rear of the Armed Forces Memorial will be restricted to event ticket holders only. The Armed Forces Memorial will also be closed between 11am - 1pm.

The RBL event will be relayed onto screens in Heroes' Square and the Naval Review for visitors without tickets who wish to participate in the programme.

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Queen’s Baton Relay visit set to be a highlight of the Arboretum’s ‘Sports, Service and the Commonwealth’ programme.

 

The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay will visit the National Memorial Arboretum in the heart of the National Forest in Staffordshire on 20 July 2022, revealed as part of the full England route today.

 

Several Batonbearers, each with inspiring backgrounds and stories, will have the honour of carrying the baton as it makes its way across the 150-acre site. 

“The visit from the Queen’s Baton Relay on 20 July will be a huge highlight for our visitors, volunteers and staff as the Nation looks forward to Birmingham 2022."

"The Arboretum is home to many memorials that honour the service and collaboration of diverse communities from across the Commonwealth, including members of the Armed Forces who have served, and continue to serve, alongside each other in times of war and peace, working together to protect our freedoms and way of life.”

 

-  Mark Ellis, Interim Lead at the National Arboretum

With just eight days to go before the start of Birmingham 2022, the visit is set to be a highlight of the Arboretum’s summer of ‘Sports, Service and the Commonwealth’. This exciting programme of exhibitions and activities at the Nation’s year-round place to remember celebrates sports, service and friendship between the nations and territories of the Commonwealth. 

“With 2022 being the year of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and with Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games, we wanted to take the opportunity to explore how the Commonwealth has helped shape our communities and to highlight the role that sport plays in the lives of Armed Forces personnel and veterans returning to civilian life,”  

Mark continues, “Our ‘Sports, Service and the Commonwealth’ summer programme is a celebration of these international friendships and the diverse communities who live in Britain today. Visitors will be able to see new exhibitions, contribute to a collaborative work of art, join guided walks, take part in sporting activities, an augmented reality experience and our ever-popular outdoor escape challenge.”