Shrewsbury to host Beat the Street interactive challenge

A new interactive game to encourage people to get active and walk or cycle more is coming to Shrewsbury.

Beat the Street Shrewsbury is launching on Wednesday 29 June and is open to anyone of any age.

The free, interactive game encourages people of all ages to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives by rewarding teams with points and prizes the further they walk, cycle and roll.

Players have a free Beat the Street contactless card and will use them to check in at Beat Boxes, which will be in 60 locations around the town. The player’s journey to the next Beat Box will be recorded, but it must be made within an hour to score points, win prizes such as vouchers for sports equipment and books, and to feature on Beat the Street Shrewsbury leader board.

Beat the Street Shrewsbury has been commissioned by Shropshire Council with support from the National Lottery via Sport England and Shrewsbury Big Town Plan. It is being delivered by Intelligent Health.

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said:

“This exciting new game upholds Shropshire Council’s values by encouraging people to get out and about on foot or on bikes, which is not only good for their physical and mental health, but good for the environment too.

“I am sure the competitive edge will also bring something to the game and I would encourage people to sign up, get their free card and get going just as soon as Beat the Street Shrewsbury goes live.”

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, and representative on the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership, said:

“A key priority for the Big Town Plan is to increase the number of people walking and cycling in and around Shrewsbury, and this initiative is a fun way of encouraging people to do just that.”

Chris Child, chief executive of local active partnership Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, added:

“The Beat the Street Shrewsbury game has been a great opportunity to bring Sport England’s new #Uniting the Movement strategy to life here in Shropshire. We hope it will showcase how physical activity can be a normal part of everyday life for everyone, regardless of who you are.

“Our Beat the Street Shrewsbury partnerships showcase what is possible if active and healthy lifestyle becomes part of everyone’s business.”

Take Part

The game is open to anyone of any age who would like to take part, and takes place in Shrewsbury from Wednesday 29 June to Wednesday 10 August 2022.

Children use a card and map which will be provided by participating primary schools, and adults can pick up a free card from one of the distribution points which will be listed on the Beat the Street Shrewsbury website from Wednesday 1 June 2022.

The website will also host the Beat Box map, leader board information and players’ prizes.

Beat the Street was created by GP Dr William Bird to encourage people to explore their local areas and to walk, cycle and roll in a fun competition.

The game has been played by more than 1.5m people in more than 120 locations in the UK and beyond, and is designed to get communities moving by helping people to make small changes, such as walking or cycling to school every day.

The Shrewsbury game coincides with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and organisers hope people will be inspired to get active.