As Co-Chair of the West Midlands Young Combined Authority (WMYCA), I want to give my fullest and wholehearted welcome to all Athletes, Coaches, Teams, members of the Commonwealth Collective Volunteering cohort and Visitors from around the world, who are joining us for the XXII (22nd) Commonwealth Games between July 28^th-August 8^th 2022!

You are visiting a place on this planet, which is bound together through our extraordinary past in leading the way on many parts of human and societal development and which through The Power of Sport, Strength of Culture and Pride in its People, has ahead a simply incredible future.

Birmingham is a city which perfectly symbolises the depth of the Commonwealth of Nations, thanks to the boundless energy, talent, enterprise and humble nature which exists. I have no doubt you’ll get to experience this, whether you’re taking to the track at the Alexander Stadium or visiting the city’s two major Festival Sites at Victoria Square and Smithfield and whether you’re exploring places like the cultural gem of the Midlands Arts Centre or walking along the City’s canal network, which rumour has it are bigger than Venice!

And Brum lays heart at a region of the West Midlands, which is full of beautiful spots wherever you look, is the home of Shakespeare and birthplace of the game of Rugby, as well being the home of more than 170 languages, our nation’s longest river, a UNESCO World Heritage Site at Ironbridge Gorge, many historical sporting institutions and is at the true heart of connectivity; not least thanks to Spaghetti Junction and Birmingham New Street, Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill Railway Station’s.

Playing part in the biggest Sporting, Cultural and Economical event in our region’s history, as an Administrator for the truly groundbreaking Birmingham 2022 Festival, has been a simply humbling experience and which makes me fully confident that your experience will wrap together the jawdropping nature of live sport, along with discovering our place’s Cultural talent and massively contributing to our Economy through where ever you head to and whatever you eat.

Without question, you visit at a moment which will take this patch of land into a new era and which will see millions of memories created.

It leaves me to say that I hope you enjoy every second of your experience, bab, of what will be an event to last a lifetime and that you will cherish such a beautiful part of our land!