A BROTHER and sister from Middlesbrough and a 69-year-old Stockton athlete have been chosen to carry the Queen's Golden Jubilee Baton in the North-East today.

Teenage sprinters John and Laura Baines, from Ormesby, will run with the baton through the centre of Middlesbrough this evening.

The Nunthorpe School pupils, who train together four times a week, were nominated by Sport England.

John, 16, said: "It was a bit of a shock because I got the letter to say I had been chosen first and my sister got the letter a few days later so she thought she hadn't been picked."

"I felt a bit left out at first," added Laura, 15. "But now we are both really looking forward to it."

They will wear Commonwealth Games athletics strips for their 500-yard run.

A civic welcome for the baton will take place at The Boulevard in the town centre between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, featuring music and dance from local bands.

Tomorrow morning, pensioner Harry Dalkin will carry the baton through Stewart Park as it leaves Middlesbrough for the next phase of its journey. Mr Dalkin, from Norton, is a keen cyclist and runner who has taken part in every Great North Run. He was nominated by the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

By the time the baton - which carries a message from the Queen - reaches the Games venue, Manchester, on July 25, it will have visited 23 countries and been carried by 5,000 people in the UK.