Beat the Street Update
4 June 2019
Update: Beat the Street set to return to Hounslow
Beat the Street – a free initiative that aims to get people walking and cycling through a giant game – is returning to Hounslow for the first time in two years.
Running this autumn from 18 September to 30 October, Beat the Street will see the whole of Hounslow turned into a giant game. Hundreds of sensors called Beat Boxes will be hidden across the borough which players tap with contactless cards and key fobs to track their journey and earn points. Over the six weeks, players join teams from local schools, businesses and community groups to compete to see if their team can score the most points and win hundreds of pounds worth of prizes.
In 2017 more than 29,000 residents walked, ran and cycled 160,000 miles together. More than 80 local schools, workplaces and community groups competed against each other to see how far they could travel.
Beat the Street is funded by Hounslow Council and delivered by Intelligent Health. The aim of the initiative is encourage local families to ditch the car and instead walk and cycle around their community: decreasing congestion, improving air quality and improving their health by getting physically active.
Public Health England recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week for adults and at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity every day for children and young people. Results from Beat the Street in 2017 showed a 27 per cent decrease in the number of cars arriving at schools, a 12 per cent increase in people walking to school and a 4 per cent decrease in adults being inactive.
Councillor Katherine Dunne, Cabinet Member for Communities and Workforce, Hounslow Council, said: “ We are delighted that Beat the Street is returning to Hounslow and once again, we urge everyone, young and old, and all our schools and community groups to take part. It’s fun, free to do and will inspire everyone to be active and healthy, which is one of the council’s commitments, to help people enjoy the best quality of life. Last time around, it got many people up and on their feet and it is also a great way to see parts of the borough you might not necessarily see. We are very proud to be supporting Beat the Street once again and we’re sure everyone who takes part will enjoy it.”
Players from 2017 saw a number of benefits of taking part:
“It helped us start walking again and we tried to do so as much as possible. It helped the family stop using the car as often as we used to and it is good to see the children happy.”
“I normally drive everywhere however this scheme encouraged me and my daughter to walk more often in hope of seeing Beat Boxes”
"I used the Beat the Street game to do some extended walking, and thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Intelligent Health, the organisers behind the Beat the Street, promise that this year’s game with be even bigger and better with new events and prizes given out over the six week competition.
For more information and how to get involved, email [email protected]