People of all ages are invited to ditch the car and get active as Beat the Street Basildon gets underway in the town!
Beat the Street Basildon is a free, interactive active travel game taking place from Wednesday, 17th June to Wednesday, 29th July, that encourages people of all ages to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives by rewarding teams with points and prizes the further they walk, cycle and wheel. An official launch was held at Briscoe Primary School on the first day of the competition, and less than a week in, more than 4,700 people have signed up and clocked up 3.503 miles.
Beat the Street was created by GP Dr William Bird MBE – a specialist in physical activity, to encourage people to ditch the car and to walk, cycle, run or wheel where possible. There are prizes for the teams that travel the furthest, and a total points leaderboard and an average leaderboard so opportunities for teams of all sizes to win.
Beeping and flashing sensors called Beat Boxes have been placed on lampposts around the area. Primary school pupils have been provided with a player pack containing a map and a card for the child and an accompanying adult. The wider community can pick up a contactless card from a distribution point listed at www.beatthestreet.me/basildon Players then travel between the contactless Beat Boxes scoring points with their cards as they go. The further players travel, the more points they score for their community or school team. Each week is themed with different activities to help participants get the most out of their Beat the Street experience.
Beat the Street Basildon is being delivered by Intelligent Health in partnership with Basildon Borough Council. It is funded through Basildon Borough Council and the National Lottery via Sport England.
Cllr. Danny Lawrence, Cabinet member for Culture, Sport, and Youth, said: “This exciting competition is a fantastic way to help people of all ages to replace their car journeys with active modes of travel such as walking, cycling or running. We’re all busy and it can be tempting to jump in the car for shorter journeys, but with the incentive of points, and of course, prizes, Beat the Street reminds us of the joys of spending time with friends and family and walking together.
“We are delighted to bring this innovative and compelling game to Basildon and we can’t wait to see how far everyone is able to walk, run, cycle and scoot during the game. Everyone is welcome to get involved, so pick up a card or download the points and join the movement!”
More information will be available at www.beatthestreet/me/basildon
