 |  | The Queen's Jubilee Baton passed through Coventry and Warwickshire as it makes its way to Manchester for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, which begin on July 25, carried by local runners.
On Wednesday, July 17, the baton left Oxford for its 41st day of travelling and headed up to the city via Southam, Long Itchington, Marton and Princethorpe - and it was greeted enthusiastically throughout its journey.
The baton was carried in Princethorpe by WM's Geoff Foster and it was passed on, eventually ending up with popular presenter Bob Brolly, who carried the baton into Coventry's Broadgate, where he was greeted by a spectacular welcome ceremony.
听Dignitaries and entertainment
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| 听 |  | Crowds gather in Broadgate for the arrival
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Dignitaries from in and around the city, enjoyed an afternoon of entertainment, hosted by WM's Jenny Wilkes, which included music and dancing from local acts and a giant video screen which showed highlights of the baton's travels so far.
The baton left Coventry the following day for its journey through Warwickshire to Stratford, where it was carried to Swan's Nest Lane by Gordon Wild of Warwick, who was nominated to be a runner for his community work.
The baton was passed to WM's Malcolm Boyden, who carried the giant aluminium baton with aplomb while being cheered on by the "Boyden Babes", some of whom travelled long distances just to catch a glimpse of the popular presenter.
| 听 |  | Cheers were heard across the area as the relay arrived
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By the time the baton reaches the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, it will have passed through over 500 cities, towns and villages across the UK, carried by 5,000 individuals from all walks of life.
Athletes and celebrities have helped in this, the longest relay of all time, but the most important are the 2,500 local heroes selected to join in because of their contributions to the community or achievements against the odds.
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