IT'S time to lace up your trainers or oil the chain on your bike and get back out on the streets.

That was the message at the launch of the second year of Beat the Street in Swindon – a game designed to get people out and active.

And bosses at the borough council, which is backing the game, are hoping Swindonians will repeat their record-breaking feat of last year, when people in the town covered the most distance of any area taking part.

Beat the Street sees participants walking, running or cycling between checkpoint sensors called beatboxes where they tap an electronic fob to prove they’ve visited. Players have to touch a second box positioned about half a mile away, within an hour to earn points.The aim is to cover the most distance between yesterday and November 6.

Veer Chavda and  Timothy Helmer are taking part. The six-year-olds played last year, and were so keen to be involved this year they ran to beep their fobs against the mobile beatbox at the launch in GWR Park.

Timothy said: “It was good last year. I like the funny noise it makes when you beep the box.”

Veer’s mum Maya, 36, from Abbey Meads in north Swindon, said: “I liked getting out as a family on our bikes.

"It gave us somewhere to go, we didn’t have to think about a route and a destination. And we found out so much more about Swindon, especially north Swindon. There were places we’d never been.”

Also from Abbey Meads, Timothy’s  mum Marianne, 36, said: “We  enjoyed it last year, it was good.

"There were lots of routes in the country away from roads. We’ll definitely do it again this year.”

Mayor Kevin Parry said: “It shows you don’t need expensive equipment. It’s totally free, and it gets people out in the fresh air. This attracts people of all ages.

"It’s just as good for everyone, whatever age they are.”

Each tap of a fob on a beatbox gains points which can be put towards a team’s total in the hope of winning hundreds of pounds of prizes.

Engagement officer Stuart Arthur said there were more beatboxes this year at 197, and his team was planning themed days and weeks to get people visiting open spaces at Coate Water, Seven Fields and  Lydiard Park.

Last year’s event was a huge success with 32,000 people in Swindon taking part and walking and cycling 313,000 miles in just six weeks, a record for any of the Beat the Street challenges nationwide so far.

If those who took part last year kept up the same level of activity throughout the year, that would save the borough council £8.8m a year in health-related costs, officials calculated.

Beat the Street is organised by Intelligent Health and funded by the National Lottery through Sport England and the borough council. Register at beatthestreet.me/Swindon.