The Baton arrived precisely on schedule to a fusillade of gold ticker tape.

"I didn’t quite run, it was a leisurely stroll, lots of people wanted to say hello," Sir Lenny told the BBC.

"It is really good that The Queen has entrusted me to carry this," he added.

Sir Lenny, a popular entertainer in Britain, was born close to Birmingham in Dudley and is a key figure in the Comic Relief charity which helps those in need both at home and abroad.

"It is an extraordinary place, look at all these incredibly smart beautiful people, it is about time.

"There is so much creativity coming out of Birmingham, it is going to be a corker tomorrow night," he predicted.

Melbourne 2006 heptathlon gold medallist Kelly Sotherton was one of the Bearers earlier in the day as the Baton made its way around all parts of Birmingham including the fabled Balti Triangle and the Gay Village.

On the city streets at the Mailbox, it was carried by local resident Trevor Lee, chosen by the Cedar Church community in Great Barr on the outskirts of the city.

He had joined a group which recorded Love lifts Me Up for the Birmingham School for the Deaf.

"It was just a privilege to be able to do it," Lee told insidethegames.

"At the end of the day, we don’t get this opportunity very often do we?

"Now the Games are here we can get on with them now."

Rain fell briefly as the Baton reached Hill Street, close to the city centre Hill Street Station.

The Batonbearer was sports therapist Zoe-Jane Littlewood who has promoted dyslexia and the Sport 4 Life charity. 

"I am a performer in the Opening Ceremony, so it has been so amazing to see all the home grown talent that we have in Birmingham, to see that in our own back garden is amazing," Littlewood told insidethegames.

As it neared the end of its journey, Doctor Kishan Bodalia carried the Baton along the Birmingham waterways on a canal boat, accompanied by a flotilla of smaller craft including canoeists.

"By day I am a doctor by night, I am a DJ and by combining the two I’ve been pushing mental well being through the power of music," Bodalia told insidethegames.

"I had so many butterflies, there were so many people there over the course of probably only 15 or 20 minutes but the atmosphere was incredible.

"I’ve performed my sets in stadiums, but on a canal like that in my home city is probably one of the best feelings ever." 

On the 294th and final day of its journey, the Baton is set to visit Villa Park football ground, home of Premier League side Aston Villa, where a Bearer will take it up the steps at the Holte End, an area of the stadium traditionally occupied by the most vocal home support.

It will then be taken to Aston Hall where it will remain until it begins its final journey to the Alexander Stadium for the Opening Ceremony.

Prince Charles is to read the Queen's Message after receiving the Baton from an as yet unnamed final Bearer.