Barry Dock RNLI and lifeguards helps welcome King’s Baton Relay into Wales
Barry Dock RNLI alongside the local RNLI Lifeguard Team, played a key role in welcoming the King’s Baton Relay into Wales on Thursday 19 June, as the relay officially began its Welsh journey at Whitmore Bay.
The relay, which forms part of the build-up to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, arrived at Barry Island as the first stop on its journey across Wales, which will see the baton travel through communities across the nation before finishing in Anglesey.
The day began at Barry Dock Lifeboat Station, where Bro Radio broadcast live throughout the morning before heading to Whitmore Bay to cover the baton's arrival ashore.
As part of the opening event, Barry Dock RNLI’s all-weather Shannon class lifeboat, the
Richard and Caroline Colton II, transported the baton into Whitmore Bay before Gethin Jones handed it over to RNLI Lifeguards Jai Gerrish and Rees Harris on the Rescue Water Craft (jet ski), who brought it ashore for the official handover.
Hundreds of people gathered on the beach and promenade to welcome the baton into Wales, creating a memorable start to the Welsh leg of the Relay.
Following its arrival, baton bearers carried the baton along the beach before the Relay progressed onto the promenade, culminating in a special performance from a local school that provided a celebratory and community-focused welcome.
The pleasant weather and no rain, provided a fitting backdrop to the celebrations, with residents and visitors lining the beach and promenade to witness the historic arrival.
RNLI volunteers from the and RNLI Visitor Experience and Shop on the prom, were on the beach to welcome the baton ashore, joined by Stormy Stan, the RNLI mascot, and Gwen, Team Wales' dragon mascot, who proved popular with spectators throughout the morning.
Following the handover, RNLI volunteers accompanied the Baton bearer along the promenade, helping create a vibrant and enthusiastic welcome as the Relay continued its journey.
The event was particularly significant for Barry Dock RNLI, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary year in 2026, having served the local community since 1901. This year is also the 25th anniversary of RNLI Lifeguards, so this was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our one crew lifesaving impact across our lifeboats and lifeguards in Barry.
Each of the 74 nations and territories participating in the Commonwealth Games has its own baton featuring a unique word. Wales’s chosen word is
COMMUNITY, reflecting the people, organisations and volunteers who strengthen communities across the nation every day.
Barry Dock RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Bill Kitchen said:
‘Community sits at the heart of everything we do within the RNLI, so it felt incredibly fitting to help welcome the King’s Baton Relay into Wales as part of our 125th anniversary year.
‘From our volunteer lifeboat crew and RNLI lifeguards, to our fundraising, shop and Visitor Experience and water safety volunteers, everything we achieve is only possible because of the incredible support we receive from our community.
‘It was wonderful to see so many people come together to welcome the Baton into Wales and celebrate this special moment.’
Alongside the relay activities, volunteers and partners also took part in a beach clean organised in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy and Team Wales partner Principality Building Society, reinforcing a shared commitment to protecting coastlines, reducing plastic pollution and supporting local communities.
The arrival also helped highlight the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, which aims to prevent one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways before the Games begin in 2026.
Protecting the coastline and promoting water safety are central to the RNLI’s work in Barry, making the campaign a particularly relevant part of the relay’s visit to Barry Island.
The event brought together RNLI volunteers, lifeguards, Team Wales representatives, the Vale Council, Keep Wales Tidy and members of the public, showcasing the strong community spirit that Wales’s Baton word represents.
NOTES TO EDITOR
About Barry Dock RNLI
Barry Dock Lifeboat Station has been serving the local community and visitors to the Vale of Glamorgan coastline since 1901 and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2026.
The station operates the Shannon class all-weather lifeboat and a D class inshore lifeboat.
Barry Dock RNLI works closely with RNLI lifeguards, HM Coastguard, local emergency services, community groups and partner organisations to help keep people safe on and around the water.
The RNLI Visitor Experience at Barry Island opened in 2017 and was the first dedicated drowning prevention centre of its kind in the UK, helping thousands of visitors learn more about water safety every year.
About RNLI lifeguards in Barry
RNLI lifeguards have patrolled Barry Island since 2012 and provide seasonal beach safety cover at Whitmore Bay, Jackson's Bay and Cold Knap.
RNLI lifeguards respond to incidents in the water, provide safety advice to beachgoers and help prevent emergencies before they happen.
About Commonwealth Games Wales
Commonwealth Games Wales (CGW) is the lead body for Commonwealth sport in Wales and is responsible for selecting, preparing and leading
Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games.
Commonwealth Games Wales is one of 74 Commonwealth Games Associations who are members of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).
Team Wales is one of only six nations that has competed in every Games since it began in 1930, then known as the Empire Games.
The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games were Team Wales’s most successful Games, winning 36 medals (10 Gold, 12 Silver, 14 Bronze), and finishing 7th on the medal table.
The last Games in Birmingham 2022, saw Wales win 28 medals across 15 sports.
The most recent Games were the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023, known as Trinbago 2023, with para events integrated into the sports schedule
for the first time in history. Team Wales won Gold in the T38 100m (Tomi Roberts-Jones) and Bronze in the T38 Long Jump (Will Bishop).
About the Kings Baton Relay
For the first time ever, every Commonwealth nation and territory will receive their own baton for their celebrations and have been asked to customise and decorate this baton to represent their culture.
All 74 Batons will be reunited at the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2026, where the Scotland Baton will be presented to His Majesty and the message read aloud to declare the Games open.
Inspired by the three CGF values - Humanity, Equality, Destiny - three interlocking pieces of sustainably sourced ash (a hardwood from Scotland) come together to create the Baton’s form. The negative spaces where the three pieces come together are a strong design feature – representing Commonwealth connections.
In a break with recent tradition and like the first ever Queen’s Baton Relay in Cardiff in 1958, the baton takes more of a traditional baton shape. It is simple and sustainable – with no complex electronics or chambers, and is a blank canvas, enabling the final design of each Baton to be crafted by the nation or territory it belongs to
Read more: Commonwealth Sport
About Glasgow 2026
Glasgow 2026 promises an altogether brilliant Commonwealth Games, paving the way for a new era of Commonwealth Sport.
Taking place from 23 July to 2 August, Glasgow 2026 is an 11-day celebration that combines world-class sport with a future-focused vision, built and delivered by the vibrant spirit of Glasgow.
Set within a concentrated, eight-mile corridor that brings the Games closer to the fans than ever before.
Glasgow 2026 will deliver:
- A record-breaking Para sport programme – 47 events across six sports
- The biggest Track Cycling, Swimming and 3x3 Basketball competitions seen at a Commonwealth Games
- Groundbreaking events like the return of the Commonwealth Mile in Athletics.
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RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]
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The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
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