Rotherham CCoC School Baton Relay
Children's Capital of CultureIn 2025, Rotherham became the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture (CCoC). It was created to change how young people felt about their hometown and create positive opportunities for children and young people across the Borough.
The Schools Baton Relay developed from this, with children across Rotherham schools running with a baton designed by young people themselves. It celebrated what’s great about each community, showed pupils where they can be active, and created positive experiences and magical moments for everyone taking part.
Over 80 schools took part, with 328 children running a leg of the relay. The run was held during term-time, so to avoid disruption of pupils learning, the timing of each leg was tightly orchestrated.
The shoot involved rapid creative decision making in order to capture key photograph-able locations across 111 square miles of the Rotherham Borough.
A requirement for the project was a mixture of portraits, action shots, and iconic locations, as well as departure and arrivals at each school.
The relay visited a variety of places of interest throughout the borough of Rotherham. Children were encouraged to visit these spaces over the summer holidays through an Activity Pack. The routes were designed to pass spaces to engage in sport and physical activity, such as Clifton Park, Herringthorpe Playing Fields and Rotherham Titans Rugby Club.
17,500 children and young people engaged in the event through coming out onto the playground to cheer on their classmates, designing posters and bunting, and taking part in follow on events in their school after the event.
One child was nervous about being selected to represent their school in the Baton relay. To build their confidence, the child and their dad went out running each week for a month before the relay. The child did brilliantly on the day and managed to finish the whole route.
In keeping with the ethos of the Children’s Capital of Culture, the baton was designed by children from Brinsworth Manor Junior School.
The winning designs were chosen by the Youth Programming Panel for Children’s Capital of Culture. 70 aluminium cans were used by local supplier Casting Innovations to create the final baton.
Photographs taken during the project have been used in presentations across the UK, where other local authorities are now wishing to replicate the hugely successful school relay.
