People of all ages are invited to ditch the car and get active as the popular game, ‘Beat the Street; arrives in Hamilton and Blantyre next week!
School teams can win up to £350 of sport or book vouchers on each leaderboard while community teams will be eligible to win up to £350 worth of sports and fitness vouchers. Registered players can win ‘Lucky Box’ prizes simply by swiping their card or fob at a Beat Box throughout the game.
This time round, there will also be five incremental targets for the whole community to aim for and each time these are reached, organisers will donate £100 to Kilbryde Hospice.
Local residents will see beeping and flashing sensors called Beat Boxes going up on lampposts around the area for the duration of the six-week game which takes place from Wednesday, 17th March until Wednesday, 28th April.
Primary school pupils will be provided with fobs while parents and teachers will receive a card from the school so they can accompany children. The wider community can pick up a contactless card from a distribution point listed at www.beatthestreet.me/hamiltonblantyre
Players then walk, wheel, scoot, cycle or run between the 65 Beat Boxes scoring points with their fobs or 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.
Councillor John Anderson, the chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, said: “The last year has been tough on everyone so we are very excited to be the first area in the UK to play Beat the Street this year! The game is a compelling way of getting people outside, off screens and into fresh air to help their physical and mental health.
“We can’t wait to see how far you can go and as well as getting fitter and more active, you’ll also be in with a chance of winning prizes and also a donation to Kilbryde Hospice.”
Beat the Street is being delivered by Intelligent Health on behalf of the council with support from South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, Smarter Choices, Smarter Places and the Scottish Government.
The game has been adapted to be COVID safe. It is an outdoor game that can be played in families or bubbles and is completely contactless. You do not need to touch a Beat Box, players can simply hover their card or fob near the sensor and it will register the swipe. Further measures such as frequent sanitisation of Beat Boxes and temporary pavement markings to help will also be put in place.
To register or to find out more, click onto www.beatthestreet.me/hamiltonblantyre or follow @BTSHamBlan
