Trearddur Bay RNLI helps welcome King’s Baton Relay to Anglesey
Trearddur Bay RNLI volunteers played a key role in the King’s Baton Relay on Tuesday 23 June, as the relay arrived on Anglesey as part of its journey towards the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
As part of the event, Trearddur Bay RNLI volunteer helm and crew member Leigh McCann had the honour of carrying the King’s Baton onto the station’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat before it was taken to sea. The lifeboat formed part of a memorable relay leg, showcasing the island’s strong maritime heritage and the vital role of RNLI volunteers within the local community.
The event also featured an RAF flypast, providing a spectacular backdrop to the celebrations and drawing crowds to the coastline to witness the historic occasion. Alongside the relay activities, a community beach clean and SwimSafe event highlighted the importance of water safety education and environmental stewardship, particularly as warmer weather brings more people to the coast.
Trearddur Bay volunteer helm and crew member Leigh McCann said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for our station and the local community to get involved in the King’s Baton Relay. It has been perfect weather for the beach clean and perfect timing with the hot weather to highlight the important work SwimSafe does.”
The King’s Baton Relay is travelling through communities across Wales before continuing its journey towards the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. The relay celebrates community spirit, achievement and connection across the Commonwealth, while providing opportunities for local organisations and volunteers to become part of a historic sporting occasion. For Trearddur Bay RNLI, the event was a proud opportunity to represent the lifesaving charity, promote water safety and showcase the dedication of its volunteer crew members who continue to serve the local community both on and off the water.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
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.
A selection of images and videos are available for download here: https://source.rnli.org.uk/share/0C8AD328-083C-4624-9FA53E6D4190126D/
RNLI Media Contacts
For further information, please contact:
Megan Dixon, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station, [email protected]
Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Wales, West of England and Isle of Man, 07977 728 315, [email protected]
Danielle Rush, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Wales, West of England and Isle of Man, 07786 668829, [email protected]
RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
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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