The Baton arrived for its overnight stop at Sandwell Valley Country Park, brought onto the stage by Kiran Sahota, nominated for her work with South Asian communities in the borough, in front of a large crowd which has gathered.

"It was an amazing experience to carry it," she told insidethegames.

"I am just so happy that it is now here in Birmingham after all this time."

For visually impaired Batonbearer Dave Heeley, who carried the Baton through the streets of Sandwell, the run brought back memories of when he had carried the Olympic Torch in 2012.

"To be carrying the Baton through West Bromwich, it doesn't get any better," Heeley, a fan of West Bromwich Albion, told insidethegames.

Heeley, known locally as "Blind Dave", was named a freeman of the Borough for his charity fundraising, and became the first blind runner to run seven marathons in seven days across seven continents.

He was accompanied by his new guide dog, a golden retriever called Peter.

"The family was all here with me so he knew people and he was quite chilled," Heeley explained.

Norma Hyde, the chair of Special Olympics Sandwell, had carried the Baton in Cradley Heath.

"This will raise visibility of the Special Olympics," Hyde told insidethegames.

"People now know what we are about, and this will be part of the legacy of the Games."

Earlier, the Baton had visited Dudley, where sergeant Adam Sefton carried the Baton to the town hall.

A recruiter with the Royal Yeomanry, he had also campaigned to promote mental health among army reservists.

The Baton also travelled by canal boat where it was carried by Kevin Dillon, who had been one of the original "Hometown Heroes" who escorted the Baton to Buckingham Palace at the start of the Relay last October.

At Wolverhampton's East Park, it arrived by parachute.

Anita Lonsbrough, the Rome 1960 Olympic women's 200 metres breaststroke champion and a winner of five gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, received it from her husband Hugh Porter, a renowned cyclist who won Commonwealth Games pursuit gold at Kingston 1966.

It was also carried by a former England striker who became a folk hero with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Steve Bull.

In this of all years, it seemed appropriate that Bull should be chosen to carry the Baton.

In Halesowen, it was the turn of cyclist Helen Scott for a second successive Relay.

Scott has been a pilot for Aileen McGlynn, Alison Patrick and Sophie Thornhill with whom she won Paralympic gold in 2016 and four Commonwealth Games gold medals.

"It’s amazing, carrying the Baton was great, it was much heavier than I thought it was going to be, to carry a piece of history was so special," Scott said.

At the Black Country Living Museum, retired firefighter Andrew Cashmore took the Baton for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage and a vintage car.

The Baton has also travelled on the Severn Valley Railway as it made its way through Kidderminster.