Barnsley is set to be transformed into a giant game through June and July as thousands of residents compete to see if their school, community or business can walk, run, push, scoot or cycle the furthest.
Running from 5 June to 17 July, Beat the Street is a free, fun challenge where people are rewarded with points and prizes for exploring their town and getting active.
More than 200 special sensors called ‘Beat Boxes’ will appear on lampposts across Barnsley. Players tap the Beat Boxes with cards and fobs to track their journey and earn points for themselves and their team – the more Beat Boxes people tap during a journey, the more points they earn.
Schools and community groups across the city will be competing against each other to see if they can travel the furthest, climb the leader boards and win hundreds of pounds worth of sport and fitness vouchers. Families are encouraged to play for their local school while the wider community can create their own teams by emailing team.barnsley@beatthestreet.me.
In addition to the leader board prizes, registered players can also win weekly ‘Lucky Tap’ prizes for playing along – including sports and fitness vouchers, Beat the Street branded goodies and cuddly toys.
To get involved with Beat the Street, residents and those working in Barnsley can pick up free Beat the Street cards and maps at libraries and select leisure centres around Barnsley. Cards and fobs will also be distributed via participating primary schools in the area.
More than 900,000 people have played Beat the Street to date with previous games taking place this year in Scotland, Northamptonshire and Leicester.
Beat the Street is being delivered by Intelligent Health and is funded by The National Lottery on behalf of Sport England and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.
Cllr Chris Lamb, Cabinet Spokesperson for Place (Environment and Transport) said: “We are incredibly excited to be bringing Beat the Street to Barnsley and can’t wait to see how far everyone is able to walk, run, cycle and scoot during the challenge.
“Anyone living, working or studying in the area is 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 popping up in Barnsley soon, pick up a card and get involved.”
Want to find out more about Beat the Street? Visit beatthestreet.me/barnsley for more information.
This news is linked to Town Spirit. We want to work better together. If everyone in Barnsley does just one thing, together we can make our borough a more welcoming place where people want to live, work and visit.
Together with our partners across the borough, Barnsley CCG is committed to #LiveIt by encouraging and enabling more people to use active travel. #OwnIt by walking or cycling more for travelling those shorter journeys.