Mid Wilts Cross Country Festival


For just the second year, St Peter’s Academy took 30 KS2 children to the Mid Wilts 2nd annual Cross Country Festival and Competition on Tuesday September. The children made up 4 teams, girls Year 3/4, boys year 3/4, girls year 5/6 and boys year 5/6. The children were very excited


and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of running competitively against other children from other schools. The team cheering was very motivating and encouraging. All the children raced brilliantly with a number of children finishing within the top 10 in their age group. The Year 3/4 girls ran particularly well


Beat the Street hailed as a success in Swindon


A walking and cycling initiative that turned Swindon into a giant game this Autumn has been hailed as a success with more than 32,000 residents joining in the game.


Beat the Street is an innovative physical activity initiative that gets families moving by turning their community into a game. Running from 19 September


to 7 November in Swindon, the game saw primary schools across the town compete to see how far they could walk, cycle or run in return for points and prizes.


More than 170 beeping and flashing sensors called Beat Boxes were placed across Swindon, these could be tapped with cards or fobs to score points for themselves and their school. The aim of the initiative is to encourage people to ditch the car and instead walk and cycle around their area: spending more time with friends and family and discovering new places in Swindon.


In total, 32,488 residents in Swindon took part in the initiative and travelled an incredible 313,353 miles together – more than the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Additionally, Swindon managed to beat the record for greatest distance walked and cycled by a town held by Reading for the past two years.


Speaking about the success of Beat the Street, Dr William Bird – creator of the initiative – said: “We have been overwhelmed by the response to Beat the Street in Swindon with around 1 in 6 residents picking up and taking


and ended the race winning their age group. They were very proud to receive their winning medals. The other teams all raced well consistently placing as a team in the top 3. This consistency led to St Peter’s winning the overall event and being presented with the winning shield.


part. The aim of Beat the Street is to encourage people to be more active and showing that walking and cycling to school and work can be easy and fun. Now the game has finished, we hope players will continue the changes they have made for months to come.”


The game in Swindon is delivered by Intelligent Health and is one of 59 Beat the Street games that will be set up across the South West and East Midlands using a new £3.3 million National Lottery funding grant from Sport England. The game has received further funding Swindon Borough Council.


Although the game has finished, the Beat the Street team will still be working with schools and community


Wiltshire and Swindon Relay 11


groups in Swindon to help them find ways to stay active. To find out more about how Beat the Street can help your school keep moving then email team.swindon@beatthestreet.me


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