Beating the streets and beat boxes in Clydesdale

More than 6220 people have already taken to the streets of South Lanarkshire – walking, wheeling or cycling between Beat Boxes located on lampposts around the area to incentivise them.
By Julie Currie
Published 21st Oct 2023, 12:28 BST
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Beat the Street Clydesdale launched on September 20 with 1506 participants signing up on its first day, soaring up to 2677 on day two and since clocking up a total of more than 59,000 miles.

It is a free, fun interactive game that encourages people of all ages to move more by choosing to travel actively around their local area; it will continue for six weeks until Wednesday, November 1.

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As well as helping people create healthier lifestyles, it also improves air quality, congestion and pollution and connects people to their communities and green spaces.

Beat the Streets Clydesdale is proving popular with people of all ages and will run until November 1.Beat the Streets Clydesdale is proving popular with people of all ages and will run until November 1.
Beat the Streets Clydesdale is proving popular with people of all ages and will run until November 1.

Beeping and flashing sensors called Beat Boxes have been placed on lampposts in Carluke, Law, Braidwood, Kirkmuirhill, Crossford, Lesmahagow, Lanark and Coalburn for the duration of the game to help participants explore the local area and all it has to offer and to show players that travelling by car doesn’t always have to be the first option.

Primary school pupils have been provided with cards and a map while the wider community can pick up a card from one of the distribution points, listed on the Beat the Street Clydesdale website, or if they are over the age of 13, they can download the free Beat the Street app.

Players then walk, wheel or cycle between the Beat Boxes which are spaced approximately half a mile apart – hovering their cards over the boxes to score points. The further players travel, the more points they score. The first Beat Box you hover your card over marks the start of your journey.

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There are leaderboards for schools, community and charity teams and each is divided into total and average points to ensure smaller teams are in with an equal chance of winning.

Councillor Robert Brown, community and enterprise resources committee chairman, said: “No matter where Beat the Street takes place it always generates an enormous amount of enthusiasm.

“The real bonus is the health benefits; in the past, people of all ages stay active long after it has ended.”

For more information, visit www.beatthestreet.me/clydesdale​​​​​​​.

Related topics:ClydesdaleSouth LanarkshireRobert Brown