Sport England brings free game to Bordesley Green, Small Heath, Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath & more

The Beat the Street game was created by GP Dr William Bird and has been played by more than 1.5m people in the UK
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After a summer of sport, Brummies can now get active again with a popular interactive game which has been played by more than 1.5m people in more than 120 locations across the UK - including Handsworth.

Beat the Street was invented by GP Dr William Bird to encourage people to explore their local areas by walking, cycling, and roller skating. The free game is for people of all ages and abilities.

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Now it’s coming to Bordesley Green, Small Heath, Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath East, Tyseley and Hay Mills and all residents are invited to take part from 28 September to 9 November. The game is being delivered by Intelligent Health on behalf of Sport England and Canal & River Trust with support from local organisations.

A previous Beat the Street game being played by young children (Credit: Commecial Photography in Glasgow & Sotland by ian Arthur Commercial Photography)A previous Beat the Street game being played by young children (Credit: Commecial Photography in Glasgow & Sotland by ian Arthur Commercial Photography)
A previous Beat the Street game being played by young children (Credit: Commecial Photography in Glasgow & Sotland by ian Arthur Commercial Photography)

How to play Beat the Street

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 listed on the Beat the Street Birmingham website. The website also tells you how many players are there in Birmingham.

Players then find their nearest “Beat Box” which will appear on lampposts around the area. The 60 sensors are contactless so that you don’t need to touch them – simply hover your card over the Beat Box and it will beep and flash to record your points.

Your first visit to a Beat Box registers the journey; players then walk, cycle or roll to the next Beat Box within an hour to score 10 points.

What did the organisers say?

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Ian Lane, head of strategic projects at Canal & River Trust, said: “We’re really pleased to work in partnership to bring this activity to our waterways across areas of Birmingham. We know how successful working with Beat The Street is at encouraging young people to explore their local area and especially visit their local canal.”

“Beat the Street is a wonderful opportunity for us, especially in a region where many people live within one mile of their local canal but have not yet realised it is there and its potential.

“We know that life is better by water, and by taking part it’s a great opportunity to explore, get active and experience how being by water can make a real difference to people’s mental health.”

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