Beat the Street’s legacy of inspiring residents in Dumfries to get moving and stay active has been showcased in a new video.
In the video — produced by Intelligent Health on behalf of Smarter Choices, Smarter Places — representatives from schools, community groups, sports clubs and Dumfries Council talk about how the Beat the Street walking and cycling initiative led to sustained changes in behaviour for the whole town:
Beat the Street turned Dumfries into a giant game in Autumn 2017 with 1 in 4 residents taking part in the seven-week challenge. In the months following the game, Beat the Street has continued to encourage active travel by encouraging people to take part in existing local initiatives and events.
The impact of Beat the Street has been highlighted in a separate report produced six months following the game. Comparing self-reported levels of activity before and six months after Beat the Street it found that the proportion of people reporting cycling for five or more days in the past week rose from 6% to 18% six months after. Similarly, the amount of players reporting not cycling at all dropped from 73% to 64%.
The game was delivered by Intelligent Health on behalf of Dumfries & Galloway Council as part of the Scottish Government’s Smarter Choices, Smarter Places initiative.
William Bird, CEO and Founder of Intelligent Health, said: “The power of Beat the Street is that it not only changes the behaviour of individuals, but transforms whole communities. This video showcases how our programme can get people moving, connect neighbours and create a lasting difference.”
