A FREE game designed to get people moving saw more than 40,000 Leicester residents taking part and increasing their activity levels this summer.
Commissioned by the city council’s public health team, the Beat the Street game awards points to those who walk, run, or wheel between 328 ‘Beat Boxes’ positioned at locations around the city
This year’s competition closed on 19 July and the points earned, and the miles covered, by each team over the six-week period have now been totted up, with prizes awarded to the winners of each category.
These include the Hamilton Residents’ Association, who came top of the Community & Workplace average points leader-board, and the Friends of Abbey Park Campus Nursery, who earned the highest total points in the same category.
Glebelands Primary School, with 616 players and a massive 417,790 points, earned more points than any other school, with Mellor Community Primary School and Granby School coming second and third in the teams' total points category.
Overall, 44,136 players – representing schools, workplaces and community groups – took part in the game in Leicester, covering a total distance of 332,516 miles in the six-week period.
Deputy city mayor for health Cllr Sarah Russell said: “Beat the Street is a brilliant idea that gets young people out and about during the summer months, but it also encourages people of all ages and fitness levels to team up with friends, neighbours and work colleagues to enjoy a walk or a bike ride together.
“The effort they put in is not only rewarded by their position on the Beat the Street leader board, but also by an improved sense of wellbeing.
“Our new Active Leicester strategy recognises the importance of initiatives like Beat the Street in promoting an active lifestyle and seeks to support people of all ages and backgrounds to improve their physical and mental wellbeing by increasing their activity levels.
“By working with our partners, we want to make it easy for people – particularly those who currently do little or no exercise – to enjoy a more physically active lifestyle and all the health benefits that come with it.”
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, whose responsibilities include sport and active travel, said: “Our leisure centres offer a huge range of activities that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy, but upping your activity levels could be as simple as leaving the car at home and walking to work, or cycling to the shops.
“The important thing is to find something you enjoy doing and make it part of your everyday life – and, if you can, get your family and friends to join you, and enjoy being active together.”
The 2020-21 Active Lives Survey suggests that more than a third of Leicester’s population, aged 16+, do less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week.
Adults should aim to do 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, every week.
Active Leicester: Turning the Tide on Inactivity aims to improve physical activity rates in Leicester over the next five years. The strategy is available to download here
Picture caption: Deputy city mayor Cllr Sarah Russell (right) presents some of the Beat the Street winners with their prizes on Sunday (30 July).