Wirral to be transformed into a huge adventure game for residents of all ages

Parts of Wirral are to be transformed into a huge adventure which residents of all ages can take part in.

From Wednesday 27th April until Wednesday 25th May, residents are asked to ‘Beat the Street’ by walking, cycling, running, scooting or skating as far as they can over the four-week period, clocking up points as they go by checking-in at special ‘Beat Boxes’ placed around the areas.

The game takes place across the wards of Moreton East & Leasowe and Seacombe and can be played by individuals or teams.

To take part, people need first to get hold of ‘Beat the Street’ card. Under 11s, who are at participating schools, will be given these directly from their primary school, older people will need to collect theirs from one of the local distribution points – Moreton Library, Leasowe Leisure Centre, Guinea Gap Leisure Centre and Seacombe Childrens’ Centre.

Players then need to create an account online, connect their card to their player profile and they’re ready to start.

A map, available online or from the distribution points, shows players where each ‘Beat Box’ is situated and will help people plot their route and get going.

Once a player has located a Beat Box, they need to use their card like a contactless payment card, hovering it close to the box until the box beeps and flashes. You need to visit at least two different Beat Boxes within an hour to score points – 10 points for each box – then 10 points for each subsequent box visited within the next hour.

Andy McCartan, Assistant Director of Leisure, Libraries and Customer Engagement at Wirral Council, said: “This is a really innovative way of encouraging local people of all ages to get out and about, being active, using environmentally friendly ways of travelling – but most of all having fun.

“Beat the Street can bring out the competitive nature in us all, as we try to top the local leaderboard, score more points than our friends, or simply challenges ourselves as individuals.”

Points are logged in online accounts and contribute towards the production of local leaderboards where players and teams can compare their scores with others.

Beat the Streets is an initiative running in a number of locations across the country. Beat the Street Moreton East, Leasowe and Seacombe is being delivered locally by Wirral Council Leisure Services, managed by Intelligent Health and funded by the Government’s ‘Welcome Back Fund’.

The project contributes to the council’s ambition to encourage residents to incorporate activity into their daily lives – the main aim of the borough’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategy – as well as helping to form part of the Climate Emergency response.