Next week sees the return of the hugely popular Beat the Street initiative which will see tens of thousands of people exploring their local neighbourhoods as part of a drive to get more people active outdoors.

Last year’s event was so successful. Swindon set a new record for the event with 32,000 local people walking or cycling a fantastic 313,000 miles in just six weeks, which is further than the distance between the earth and the moon.

In fact so many schools, community groups and work-organised teams took part, that our efforts received national TV coverage.

If you didn’t take part last year and wondered why so many people took to the borough’s streets, the game requires players to tap cards and fobs against sensors called Beat Boxes while walking or cycling to earn points for their team. Successful teams are then in with a chance to win hundreds of pounds worth of prizes.

Intelligent Health organise the game, which is funded through the council and the National Lottery.

The great thing about Beat the Street is that anyone can take part and you can do as little or as much as you want. The best thing about it is that it is fun and is something the whole family can do.

It is just one of several initiatives organised by the council’s public health team and our partners to get people more active and follows a number of cycling and walking programmes that have been set up in recent years.

Beat the Street starts on Wednesday, September 25 and will run for six weeks. If you can make it down to GWR Park in Faringdon Road at 4pm for the launch event on the same day, there will be a number of fun activities to take part in, not to mention double points available on Beat Boxes.

A fob will be provided to primary school pupils, while other players are invited to collect cards and a map for free from distribution points across Swindon, including selected supermarkets, libraries and leisure centres. A full list of distribution points can be found at www.beatthestreet.me/Swindon.

It is not just schools who are being encouraged to take part. Although parents can join a school team, people are encouraged to set up a workplace team. I was extremely pleased to see this week that the Council’s regular walking group is encouraging colleagues to join them for a 40-minute walk during their lunch break where they will look to tap as many Beat Boxes as possible.

You can even set up your own community group and join the teams who are playing on the charity leader board in support of one of the Mayor’s chosen charities: Swindon and North Wiltshire Deaf Children’s Society or CALM (Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Movement).

It’s not so much a case of whether we can Beat the Street this year, it’s whether we can beat our total and set a new record.