AN award-winning game which gets schools, families and communities active is coming to Harwich this autumn.

Invented by GP Dr William Bird, Beat the Street has got more than 1.4 million people moving across the UK and beyond.

From September 29 until November 3, players will take part in a team effort to find the 35 Beat Boxes installed across Harwich and Dovercourt.

The more boxes a team finds, the more points they collect during the five-week, free-to-play activity which is open to all ages and abilities.

Read more:

A player’s first visit to a Beat Box registers the journey; they must then walk, cycle or roll to the next box within an hour to score ten points.

There are prizes of vouchers for books or sports equipment for the teams which clock up the highest number of active travel miles, plus there is also an average points leaderboard so smaller teams also have a chance of winning prizes.

During the activity, children use a fob 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 Harwich website.

It has recently been adapted to ensure it’s safe to play during the Covid pandemic with contactless cards and fobs.

Physical Activity Pilot Co-ordinator at Active Essex, Cheryl Lomas said: “We are incredibly excited to be bringing Beat the Street to Harwich and Dovercourt having seen the impact the game had when it came to Clacton a few years ago.

“We know one of the best things people can do right now for their physical and mental health is to move more and to get out into green space where possible, and Beat the Street is a fantastic way of helping people do that in a fun and safe way.”

Residents now have more than a month to get their teams together ready to take on the challenge before it begins on September 29.

The scheme is being delivered in partnership with Tendring Council, Active Essex Local Delivery Pilot, Community Voluntary Services Tendring, National Lottery and Sport England, and Intelligent Health.

More information will be available at www.beatthestreet.me/harwichdovercourt and on social media at @CVSTendring.