On January 1, 1979, a message was read out on stage in the Gaiety Theatre stage to confirm that the Queen would attend the Tynwald millennium ceremony, writes Sam Turton.

The message had been carried in a baton by men who ran with it from Buckingham Palace to the island via Liverpool in the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve in 1978. Now those men have been reunited with it.

Graham Young, Mitch Joughin, Derek Harrison, Steve Kelly and Dave Newton spent three days running on average of seven-minute miles for an hour each before having a rest in the back of the van while the next man carried on.

The baton itself was presented to Derek by the Queen just before Christmas at Buckingham Palace.

Running in some terrible conditions, the team delivered the baton to then Lieutenant Governor Sir John Paul at Government House before it was read out by Sir Charles Kerruish, the veteran politician who was the Speaker of the House of Keys.

Graham said: ‘We flew to Heathrow on December 27, picked up the baton on December 28 and ran back to Liverpool.

‘We were so delighted to be asked to do it but it was very tough. I was a walker, not a runner and I found sometimes at night in the pitch black it would be a bit disorientating.’

He said that before the official announcement, there had been whispers that the Queen would come to the island but it was only officially confirmed to a packed Gaiety on New Year’s Day 1979.

Graham showed us a photo album that was presented to the men of varying parts of their journey including picking up the baton, running at night, meeting the Mayoress in Liverpool and bringing the baton back to Ronaldsway.

He said: ‘I only found the album because my wife was having a bit of a tidy up and we found it and I suddenly realised it was 40 years since we did it. So I decided to organise a reunion and sought out the baton.

‘I phoned the museum, who told me it the message was held at the Legislative Buildings and, luckily for us, they found time for us to have a picture with it.

‘Looking at the pictures from then and now makes you wonder where them 40 years have gone!’

Having had their picture taken with the baton and message, the group went for a drink where Graham said it was amazing how each of them remember certain things and events slightly differently, but said one thing they all remembered was the Adelphi Hotel.

He added: ‘We went to meet the Mayoress of Liverpool and then we were put up in the Adelphi, which 40 years ago was the height of luxury, especially after three days being constantly wet, running and sleeping in the back of a van.’