The man who made the handle of the Queen’s Baton using elm wood from Millport is about to be reunited with his handiwork – on the last lap of its epic 120,000 mile journey round the Commonwealth.

Boatbuilder Ben Duffin, who painstakingly carved and crafted the wooden section of the baton, will be a VIP guest when it arrives in North Ayrshire on Tuesday, July 15.

By that stage the iconic symbol of international friendship will have toured 70 nations on a 10-month expedition which began last October with a send-off from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

It will arrive in Glasgow a week later for the start of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Ben produced the baton’s handle in a community boatbuilding workshop where he has been based for the past four years. The GalGael workshop in Govan is operated as a social enterprise that teaches traditional skills.

Ben, 29, had to work to exact specifications laid down by Glasgow’s C4 Design consultancy, in between teaching boatbuilding skills at the centre.

The technique he used to create the wooden shaft is called bird-mouthing, which is a traditional method of making light, strong and durable masts for ships.

The elm wood came from trees growing in the grounds of Garrison House in Millport and was chosen as a tribute to Scotland’s natural resources.

Ben, who moved from Maybole to live in Glasgow’s south side, takes up the story.

“The design team came to see us so that we could talk over in detail exactly what they wanted.

“I had previous experience of all the techniques involved but this was the hardest thing I had ever turned out because it had to be 100 per cent accurate to fit onto the metalwork.

“The wood had been milled on Cumbrae about five years ago and was kept in store for various projects. Elm is ideal for this kind of job. The wood is tough and glues well – plus we had enough in stock should we need to have a second or third go at it.” The project had to be kept under wraps as part of the remit, Ben recalls, which was particularly difficult in a busy workshop.

But the high quality craftsmanship of the GalGael team was eventually recognised when details were broadcast nationwide on the BBC’s One Show.

The polished piece of hardwood will have come full circle by the time it lands back in North Ayrshire next week.

“It will still look as good as new,” says Ben, “despite being through hundreds of thousands of pairs of hands since it left my workshop.

“I am looking forward to a grand reunion with this simple piece of wood which has been on TV news every day since last October.” The baton will, in effect, be coming home when it reaches Cumbrae.

Not only is the wooden part of the baton from Ayrshire but also the granite stone section which was sourced from Ailsa Craig off the coast of Girvan.

From Garrison House the route passes a two metre high floral replica of Clyde - the Commonwealth Games mascot - before progressing along the main road to quayhead and back to the jetty for its return to the mainland.

On approaching Largs, the rib will sail past the ferry terminal and head up the coast to the lifeboat station where it will perform a quick U-turn before speeding back down to the pier to berth.