Join Wellingborough's Beat the Street game - walk, jog, cycle or roll across town

Wellingborough is set to be transformed into a giant game thanks to National Lottery funding from Sport England.

More than one million people have already played Beat the Street across the country and now it's Wellingborough's turn to take on the challenge.

From Wednesday, March 23 to Wednesday, April 20, families are being encouraged to ditch their cars and explore Wellingborough, by either walking, jogging, cycling or rolling their way across town, scoring points - and winning prizes along the way.

Cllr Helen Howell, deputy leader of North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) and executive member for sport, leisure, culture and tourism, said: “We are incredibly excited to be bringing Beat the Street to Wellingborough.

"We know that one of the best things people can do right now for their physical and mental health is to move more and to get out into green space where possible, and Beat the Street really helps people do just that in a safe way.”

Beat the Street Wellingborough has been funded by North Northamptonshire Council, Public Health Northamptonshire and The National Lottery through Sport England, in partnership with Northamptonshire Sport who are helping to deliver the game.

It works by turning the town into a real-life game and residents will soon start to see special sensors called Beat Boxes appearing on lampposts around the area.

Prior to the game, pupils from participating primary schools will be provided with fobs while parents and teachers will also receive a fob from the school so they can accompany children.

The wider community can pick up a free contactless fob from a distribution point listed on the website www.beatthestreet.me, to take part as a family, sports team, jogging group or any community group.

Beat the Street encourages people to get outside, get active and is open to all ages. Players can join a school or community team or you can set up your own with a minimum of six players. Players then walk, cycle or roll between the 40 Beat Boxes across Wellingborough which are spaced 500 metres apart – hovering the fobs as they go. The further players travel, the more points they score.

Beat the Street has previously run in Northampton, Kettering and Rushden and has seen great success, engaging upwards of 35,000 people in the process. This engagement has seen participants walking, cycling and jogging over 250,000 miles, whilst the Beat the Street game has been active.

Cllr Jason Smithers, leader of NNC, added: “It’s free to take part in Beat the Street and it’s open to everyone regardless of age, ability or background. It’s an inclusive game that encourages you to exercise from your front door and to clock up the miles within the game framework.”

According to research, one in four people in England do less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week, which classes them as inactive.

Four out of five primary school children do not get the recommended amount of daily exercise of 60 minutes a day.

Beat the Street was created by GP Dr William Bird, an expert in physical activity and the founder of Intelligent Health.

It is hoped that Beat the Street will also help reduce congestion, improve air quality, and help families spend time in green spaces together. The game has been adapted to ensure that it’s safe to play during the Covid-19 pandemic with contactless cards and fobs.