East Northants to be transformed into a giant game this spring... and there are prizes up for grabs

Players tap as many of the 50 plus Beat Boxes with cards and fobs to track their journey and earn points the morepeople swipe during a journey, the more points they earn (Picture courtesy of East Northants Council via Twitter)

Thousands of residents will compete to see if their school, community group or workplace can walk, run, scoot, or cycle the furthest by entering the free Beat the Street challenge that will take place from March 27 to May 8.

More than 50 special sensors called Beat Boxes will appear from Rushden to Thrapston.

Players tap the Beat Boxes with cards and fobs to track their journey and earn points for themselves and their team – the more people swipe during a journey, the more points they earn.

Schools and community groups will be competing against each other to see if they can travel the furthest, climb the leaderboards and win prizes including sports, crafts and book vouchers.

James MacWilliam, chair of the Trustee of East Northants Cultural Trust, which worked with the council to manage their leisure facilities for thirteen years, said: "We are particularly pleased to be able to provide funding towards the Beat the Street event which engages with so many local primary schools in such an innovative and fun way.

"The drive to get youngsters out and enjoying exercise is a brilliant initiative and we wish it long and vigorous success."

Families are encouraged to play for their school while the wider community can create their own teams by emailing [email protected].

In addition to the leaderboard prizes, registered players can also win weekly Lucky Tap prizes for playing along – including vouchers and experience days.

Chairman of East Northamptonshire Council, Wendy Brackenbury, said: "We are excited to be bringing Beat the Street to East Northamptonshire and we look forward to seeing how far everyone is able to walk, run, cycle and scoot during the challenge.

"People of all ages and abilities are able to get involved in Beat the Street – it’s completely free to play and is a great opportunity to go outdoors, spend time with your friends and family and get moving. Watch out for Beat Boxes appearing on a street near you."

Beat the Street is being delivered by Intelligent Health and is funded by The National Lottery on behalf of Sport England, and East Northamptonshire Council in partnership with Freedom Leisure, which manage leisure facilities across the district on behalf of the council.

Want to find out more about Beat the Street? Visit www.beatthestreet.me/eastnorthants for more information.