Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary will be transformed into a giant interactive game for six weeks as residents of all ages are invited to take part in Beat the Street, an innovative, free, and fun challenge that encourages communities to get active by walking, cycling, running, scooting or wheeling.
Beat the Street Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary takes place from Wednesday 13 May until Wednesday 26 June and is free to anyone of any age, ability or background. Children at participating primary schools will be provided with a player pack including a card and map, and the wider community can pick up a free card from one of the distribution points listed on the Beat the Street website or players over the age of 13 can use the free Beat the Street app.
Beat the Street Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary is being delivered by Intelligent Health, in partnership with, and funded by, Thurrock Council.
The game was developed by GP Dr William Bird MBE, an expert in physical activity, and since it was founded, it has taken place in more than 200 locations across the UK and beyond, including locations in Essex such as Chelmsford and Braintree. A previous game took place across Belhus and Aveley from 23 April 2025 to 21 May 2025 where 1,956 participants walked, cycled, scooted, ran and wheeled a total of 6,213 miles together!
Evidence from previous games shows that the programme helps adults and children become more active and encourages families to spend more time together outdoors and in green spaces. The competition element incentivises people to make small, achievable lifestyle changes, such as walking or cycling to school every day, to improve health and help make being active part of everyday life.
Just before Beat the Street begins, local residents will start to see Beat Boxes appearing on lampposts around the area. Once the game is underway, players find their nearest Beat Box and tap it with the card to register the journey; then walk, cycle or wheel to the next Beat Box within an hour to score 10 points. Then keep going!
There are prizes for the teams and individuals that travel the furthest, plus there are leaderboards for total points and average points so that teams of all sizes are in with a chance of winning a prize. You can also help a local charity get a donation, and there are “lucky spot” prizes just for taking part.
Dr Rubinder Bains, Director of Public Health at Thurrock Council, said: “The Beat the Street game has proved to be a huge inspiration in previous locations and has helped people to travel more actively across their local towns. We are excited to see how many active travel miles residents in Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary are able to clock up. Why not get involved in the free game and sign up your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours? As well as doing great things for your health, you’ll be able to explore the area on foot and also be in with a chance of winning prizes!”
More information is available at: https://beatthestreet.me/tilburycsm/