SALISBURY and Amesbury are set to be transformed into a giant game through May to July as thousands of residents compete to see if their school, community or business can walk, run or cycle the furthest.

Running from 20 May to 1 July, Beat the Street is a free, fun challenge where people are rewarded with points and prizes for exploring their town on foot or bicycle.

Nearly one hundred special sensors called ‘Beat Boxes’ will appear on lampposts across Salisbury and Amesbury. Players tap the Beat Boxes with cards and fobs to track their journey and earn points for themselves and their team – the more Beat Boxes people swipe during a journey, the more points they earn.

Schools and community groups across both areas will be competing against each other to see if they can travel the furthest, climb the leaderboards and win hundreds of pounds worth of sport and fitness equipment. Families are encouraged to play for their local school while the wider community can create their own teams by emailing team.salisburyamesbury@beatthestreet.me

Jerry Wickham, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for public health and public protection, said: “We are incredibly excited to be bringing Beat the Street to Salisbury and Amesbury and can’t wait to see how far everyone is able to walk, run, cycle and scoot during the challenge.

“Anyone living, working or studying in the area is able to get involved in Beat the Street – it’s completely free to play and is a great opportunity to go outdoors, spend time with your friends and family and get moving. Watch out for Beat Boxes popping up in Salisbury and Amesbury soon, pick up a card and get involved.”

In addition to the leaderboard prizes, registered players can also win weekly ‘Lucky Tap’ prizes for playing along – including sports and fitness vouchers, Beat the Street branded goodies and cuddly toys.

To get involved with Beat the Street, residents can pick up free Beat the Street cards and maps at libraries and leisure centres. Cards and fobs will also be distributed via participating primary schools in the area.

More than 900,000 people have played Beat the Street to date with previous games taking place this year in Scotland, Northamptonshire and Leicester.

Beat the Street Salisbury and Amesbury is delivered by Intelligent Health and is one of 59 Beat the Street games that will be set up across the South West and East Midlands using a new £3.3 million National Lottery funding grant from Sport England. The game has received further funding from Wiltshire Council.

Want to find out more about Beat the Street? Visit beatthestreet.me/salisburyamesbury for more information.