THREE weeks before the Queen arrives in Ipswich her Jubilee baton is due to make an overnight stay in the town.Thousands of people are expected to fill the Cornhill on Tuesday 25th June to see the arrival of the baton.

THREE weeks before the Queen arrives in Ipswich her Jubilee baton is due to make an overnight stay in the town.

Thousands of people are expected to fill the Cornhill on Tuesday 25th June to see the arrival of the baton.

Ipswich is the only town in Suffolk to be chosen as an overnight stop for the baton which is nearing the end of its 5,000-mile journey to Manchester to mark the start of the Commonwealth Games.

Escorted by celebrity athletes including Kevin Curtis, Davin Pack and Karen Pickering the arrival of the baton will be the start of huge celebrations with bands and community groups taking to the stage for an evening of music.

Ipswich Mayor, Richard Risebrow, will receive the baton on behalf of the people in the county and then deliver the official Baton Relay message.

This will be followed by a sporting hall of fame as Ipswich's International Sporting Pass-holders line up to greet the crowd.

The celebration will be shown on national and regional television as the event is sponsored by the BBC and presented by Cadbury.

Mr Risebrow said: "This is a great honour for Ipswich and for Suffolk. We have been looking forward to this event for many months and to the Queen's visit in July. I hope people of all ages will line the route or come to the Cornhill on 25th June to make this a right royal occasion for Suffolk."

The timetable is:

6pm - The baton runners will come into town from the Copdock Mill roundabout, down London Road, Handford Road, Civic Drive, Fransiscan Way, Greyfriars Road, Star Lane, Foundation Street, Lower Brook Street and Upper Brook Street, arriving on the Cornhill at 6.55pm. The musical entertainment will last from 6pm until 7.30pm. A civic reception will then follow for sporting celebrities and civic leaders. Nine runners will take the baton out of Ipswich the next morning.