Final week of Beat the Street could see Swindon set a new record

Swindonians have run to the moon, it has been confirmed.

The Beat the Street exercise initiative, which for the past month has been played by a whopping 32,000 people, has seen Swindonians collectively travel 250,000 miles, which is more than the distance from Earth to the moon.

This impressive statistic could see the town set a new record – if the 297,000 miles set by Reading in 2016 can be beaten.

The game, delivered by Intelligent Health on behalf of Sport England and Swindon Borough Council, started on Wednesday, 12 September and will end on Wednesday, 24 October.

As a result, Councillor Brian Ford, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services, has urged people to make one last push as the game enters its final week.

He said: “This exercise initiative has been a brilliant success. To think that we have travelled further than the moon in just a month is a massive achievement – well done to everyone who has taken part.

“It has been wonderful to see so many people participate in such an enjoyable and beneficial activity and it would be fantastic if we could set a new record.

“Come on everyone – I know we can do it!”

Last month, more than 170 special sensors called ‘Beat Boxes’ appeared across Swindon. Players have been tapping the Beat Boxes with cards and fobs to track their journey and earn points for themselves and their team.

The aim of Beat the Street is to encourage people to walk, cycle and become more physically active, and it has had a great deal of success in various places across the country.

Last year, 22 per cent of people taking part in Beat the Street in County Durham did less than 30 minutes of exercise per week. Six months after playing, this had been reduced to just 8 per cent.

On the final day, next Wednesday, there will be a special ‘Final Day Countdown’ with the amount of points that Beat Boxes are giving out increasing every hour from 4pm until the end of the game at 7pm. It will be a great opportunity to score points at the game draws to a close and could make a big difference to the leader boards.