THE baton that will travel 118,000 miles around the Commonwealth before the 2014 Games was unveiled at a special ceremony in Glasgow last night.

Made from titanium, wood and granite, the Queen's Baton Relay will carry a message from Her Majesty calling athletes of the Commonwealth to the city for the start of the Games.

It was unveiled at the Riverside Museum, where it arrived on the UK's fastest electric boat, Bolt, accom­panied by Glasgow 2014 mascot Clyde.

Scotland's most successful Commonwealth athlete, Allan Wells, who was recently announced as a Games Ambassador, presented the baton to Lord Smith Of Kelvin, chairman of Glasgow 2014.

Wells, the former Scottish Olympic and Commonwealth gold sprinter and winner of the 100m Olympic title at the 1980 Moscow Games, was the final baton bearer at the last Commonwealth Games on Scottish soil in Edinburgh in 1986.

The Queen's Baton Relay will travel 118,000 miles in 288 days, visiting all 71 nations and territories of the Common­wealth, including the first visit to Rwanda. It will be carried by thousands of baton bearers who will be chosen by their own nation to participate.

On its final leg, the baton will travel across Scotland to finish at the Opening Cere­mony in Celtic Park, where the message will be read and the Games declared open.

The baton was designed by Glasgow firm, 4c Design Limited, based in Port Dundas. The Queen's message will be encased in an illuminated clear cylinder surrounded by titanium latticework, which symbolises Glasgow's industrial heritage and Charles Rennie Mackintosh's architecture.

Its handle is made from elm sourced from the grounds of Garrison House on the Isle of Cumbrae - a tribute to Scotland's natural resources - and contains a granite 'gemstone', which will be gifted to each nation and territory during the visit.

Designer William Mitchell, a Glasgow School Of Art graduate and director and owner of 4c Design, said: "It's been a privilege and an honour to design the Baton."

Also revealed were the official Queen's Baton Relay uniforms to be worn by the baton bearers.

They have been designed by international sportswear company Trespass, which has its main base in Kinning Park. It also supplies the official casual uniform for the Glasgow 2014 workforce.

Scottish adventurer Mark Beaumont will cover the journey of the Queen's Baton Relay for a series of programmes to be shown across the BBC.

matty.sutton@eveningtimes.co.uk