Type=image;ImageID=12386;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Edward the Elder Primary School pupils;TitleClass=strong;
More than 17,800 people are taking part and have already walked and cycled the equivalent of travelling to London and back over 100 times since the launch of Beat the Street on Wednesday (15 March, 2017).
The free competition continues until Wednesday 3 May, 2017, and challenges people to see how far they can travel across Wolverhampton in return for points and prizes. Players score points and miles by tapping special sensors called Beat Boxes which can be found on lampposts around the City.
Tapping one of the 191 Beat Boxes at the start of the journey, and others en route or at the end, calculates the distance that the player has travelled. This is recorded against the card and added to the player's individual total, their team total and the city's overall score.
Councillor Paul Sweet, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "The response to Beat the Street has been incredible with thousands of people visiting libraries, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and our WV Active leisure centres to pick up a card and get involved.
"The game has really caught people's imagination and it is fantastic to see everyone, young and old, playing along. In doing so, they are not only improving their health and wellbeing but also having great fun at the same time."
Laura Page from Wolverhampton Art Gallery said: "We have been completely overwhelmed in the past week with people coming into Wolverhampton Art Gallery to pick up their game cards so they can play Beat the Street. From the conversations we have been having with visitors it is clear that the game has got everyone excited."
More than 130 schools and teams in Wolverhampton are also competing against each other to see who can journey the furthest and win up to £750 worth of sports and fitness equipment supplied by Decathlon.
In addition to the team prize, participants in Wolverhampton are also playing for a good cause with £1,000 being donated to Compton Hospice if the city travels 196,000 miles - the distance reached during last year's game.
Beat the Street is being delivered by Intelligent Health on behalf of Sport England, The National Lottery and the City of Wolverhampton Council.
There is still lots of time to pick up a card and get involved. To find you nearest distribution centre is, please visit Type=links;Linkid=6912;Title=Beat the Street;Target=_blank;.
- released: Monday 20 March, 2017