RE:ACT Commonwealth Games Responders to carry The Queen's Baton

Psst..! Four RE:ACT Games Responders to carry The Queen’s Baton for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games… Pass it on!

RE:ACT has nominated four of their Games Responders who will now be Batonbearers in the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay.

The quartet is part of a 7,500-strong group of Batonbearers around the Commonwealth who are involved in the Queen’s Baton Relay.

Spanning more than 269 days, the Queen’s Baton Relay actually began in October last year when the Queen’s Message to the Commonwealth was placed into the Baton.

Since then, it has covered almost 140,000 kilometres and has been seen in all 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

June saw its arrival in the Falkland Islands, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man before it travelling to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and eventually back to England, where the Relay will take 25 days to cross the length and breadth of the nation.

RE:ACT’s team of Rick Walters, Norrie Bissett, Shirley Smith, and Charlie McLaughlan will be in action at the beginning of July.

Rick has been with RE:ACT since 2017 and has helped on 37 of their projects, giving hundreds of voluntary hours to people in their greatest time of need, both in the UK and internationally.

“Rick has been a great Team Leader for many of our Operations, quietly and professionally throwing himself into every task. He plays an important role in leading by example, from deploying abroad after natural disasters to supporting NHS workers during our Covid response” said Toby Wickes, RE:ACT Chief Executive.

“Rick is a role model within the charity and continues to support new volunteers as part of the RE:ACT training team, instructing and organising behind-the-scenes logistics for our team, which doesn’t go unnoticed!”

Like Rick, Norrie has been volunteering for the last 5 years, helping on 30 projects at home and abroad. He has led the RE:ACT Logistics Team for three years, quietly giving hundreds of hours of his time to support the charity and its beneficiaries.

“Norrie is always highly supportive of his fellow volunteers, having given so much of his time to help before, during and after our training courses. He’s a wonderful role model for RE:ACT and  a real credit to our charity.” Toby continued.

Shirley has been a volunteer since 2019 and has helped on 14 projects so far. She has been a Response Team Leader for several deployments, demonstrating reliability and the hugely positive impact her commitment makes to the team, during these voluntary roles.

Toby added: “Shirley made an incredible contribution to the UK Covid response in a planning role where she delivered training to local authorities, working tirelessly behind the scenes for more than six weeks. It’s humbling to see - she’s a shining example of what we look for in a great team leader.”

Charlie has volunteered for more than three years with RE:ACT and has helped in 16 projects, both in the UK and abroad. During the UK Covid pandemic response, Charlie worked tirelessly to support people in several regions, significantly increasing Responders’ situational knowledge and resilience, which allowed RE:ACT to provide support for those hardest to reach.

“Like the others, Charlie is a true role model for RE:ACT. He’s deployed as a team medic overseas and is also part of our Logistics and Training Teams. He continues to support new volunteers by instructing and mentoring on our courses and we’re hugely grateful for his contribution.”

RE:ACT’s UK Operations Manager, Luke Cox, said the Batonbearers would make everyone at the charity “immensely proud.”

“Having our own small team involved in the Queen’s Baton Relay will be a fantastic moment for RE:ACT. All four are prime examples of people who continue to serve communities who’re most in need.”

“RE:ACT are immensely proud to have been chosen as an Official Military Veteran Provider to the Games and this contribution to the Queen’s Baton Relay will be the icing on the cake.”

If you want to cheer the RE:ACT team on, this is where they’ll be:

• Rick will be carrying the Baton at 6pm on July 4^th, along the Promenade between Poole and Bournemouth pier.
• Norrie will be running two days later from 2pm on July 6^th, starting at Winchester Sport and Leisure Park.
• Charlie will run his leg of the Relay from 4pm on July 6^th, through East Park in Southampton.
• Finally, on the 11^th of July just after 4pm, Shirley carries the Baton in a cable car, up to the Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire.