THE Commonwealth Games baton has now been carried around the world, and most of Scotland, but yesterday it went back to its beginnings when it was reunited with the man who helped make it.
Day 280 of the relay started early at Wemyss Bay railway station, before moving on to Skelmorlie and then Largs, where the comedian Karen Dunbar, who is from Ayr, was among the bearers who carried it along the promenade.
It then left the mainland for the last time before the Games when 16-year-old windsurfer Tristan Levie, in dark blue kilt, took the baton in a speed boat across to the island of Cumbrae.
It was one of the riskier moments of the relay, so the baton was strapped to Tristan's wrist just in case, but the young sportsman made the most of it, striking a Statue of Liberty pose at the prow of the boat and showing off to the flotilla that followed it from Largs to Millport.
The welcome in Millport was warm: around 600 locals gathered at the harbour and others rowed out raised their oars in salute as the baton arrived.
Once ashore, the baton was taken to the grounds of the town's community centre, Garrison House, from where the elm wood for the baton's handle was sourced.
Standing over what is left of the tree, the man who made the handle, 29-year-old Ben Duffin, said he was feeling a bit special at playing such an important role.
He produced the handle in the GalGael community boatbuilding workshop in Govan, Glasgow, where he has been based for the past four years. He had to work to the detailed specifications laid down by Glasgow's C4 Design consultancy to make sure the handle was accurate.
Ben said: "When the boatyard got the baton commission, they wanted to have a nod to boatbuilding heritage in Scotland. It was glued together and lathed by hand to very exacting plans. I have to admit, I'm feeling a little bit smug today,"
The technique he used to create the wooden shaft is called bird-mouthing, a traditional method of making light, strong and durable masts for ships.
Ben, who moved from Maybole to live in Glasgow's south side, said: "The design team came to see us, so that we could talk over in detail exactly what they wanted. I had previous experience of all the techniques involved but this was the hardest thing I had ever turned out because it had to be 100 per cent accurate to fit onto the metalwork."
The polished piece of hardwood has now travelled 120,000 miles, through 70 nations and been passed between thousands of pairs of hands, but Ben was pleased to see it was still looking as good as new.
Another of the baton bearers in Millport was James Thomson, who hopes his participation will emphasise the important of sport to people with disabilities. Mr Thomson, 70, lost a leg in a car accident in 2011, but has continued to play golf.
He said: "After the accident, the focus was on getting my life back together again. The problem was I couldn't walk a course, so I got myself a buggy. Golf was important to my recovery; it gave me a lot of confidence and helped me restore my balance."
Mr Thomson is now a member of a disabled golf association and hopes people with disabilities may take some hope from seeing him carry the baton.
After an hour or so on Millport, the baton returned to the mainland and on to Kilbirnie, Dalry, Kilwinning, Irvine, Stevenston and Saltcoats, before arriving in Ardrossan.
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