A FAT-busting scheme that turns the town into a giant playground will launch later this week.

Beat the Street will see people given credit card sized fobs that they can tap onto contactless boxes placed at half-mile intervals around Swindon.

Playing individually or as part of a school or club team, the aim is to clock-up as many points as possible by tapping your fob on as many of the boxes as possible before your time runs out.

The scheme has already been trialled in towns across the UK, including Gloucester and Calne. Stuart Arthur, one of the organisers of Beat the Street in Swindon, says it will get children who don’t normally like sport moving more.

He told the Swindon Advertiser: “It’s a fun and free activity. Children like a bit of competition, to see how far they’ve gone and to track their progress.

“You can get home and see where you’ve gone. It really engages them.”

The game, which is backed by Swindon Borough Council and funded through Sport England, has seen around 170 contactless boxes placed around the town.

“You don’t need to have children to play the game,” Stuart said. “The card fobs are available from distribution centres around Swindon. Adults can play and set their own challenges.

 

“Swindon’s really lucky. We’ve got some fantastic country parks, we’ve got some great green spaces. Beat the Street gives them that encouragement to go out and explore.”

It is hoped 20,000 people in the town will get involved in Beat the Street over six weeks in September and October.

Children from Holy Family Primary School, Park North, are among those joining in the fun.

Nicole Price, deputy headteacher, said: "We're a healthy school. This is just another activity we can do to encourage our children to get involved. It's a fun thing to do; the children can cycle or walk."

 

She remained tight-lipped over which school Holy Family hoped to beat. She smiled: "We'll be the best we can be."

Prizes like cuddly toys and book vouchers are on offer to the school children who clock up the most points.

But for Holy Family youngsters, competition may be the only incentive they need. Lauren, seven, reckoned she'd visit a very specific 119 boxes: "I'm just going to say to my my, 'Can we stop at the box?'" Kassidy, six, went for a more realistic but still ambitious 30 boxes. "I'm really fast," she said.

The Beat the Street cards are available from libraries, leisure centres and some supermarkets. It runs from September 12 to October 24. For more, visit: beatthestreet.me/swindon.