Llanelli Star

Beat the Street challenge takes an active turn

- IAN LEWIS Reporter ian.lewis@walesonlin­e.co.uk

PEOPLE of all ages taking part in Llanelli’s Beat the Street challenge are invited to “get active” this week.

The idea is that people will find something that they might not have tried before to help them continue to keep up their new active habits after the Beat the Street competitio­n comes to an end on November 9 and to explore the sports and leisure options on offer.

A total of 6,444 people have signed up to play the Beat the Street Llanelli game and have together walked, cycled, wheeled, run and scooted an incredible 35,000 miles so far in the competitio­n.

The community’s efforts mean that organisers of the game have donated £100 to three local charities – Tyisha Foodbank, Calon and Mind.

A further £100 will be donated to all three when the total mileage reaches 45,000 miles.

There are also total and average points leader boards for school, community and workplace teams and individual­s, with prizes for sports or book vouchers for the teams that top the tables at the end of the six-week competitio­n.

Currently, Ysgol Gymraeg Ffwrnes leads the total points leader board, with Llangennec­h in second place and Stebonheat­h school in third.

Before last week’s challenge Ysgol Gymraeg Brynsierfe­l was in fourth place on the total points leader board and eighth on the average points board.

Zoe Jermin-Jones, assistant headteache­r at Ysgol Gymraeg Brynsierfe­l, said: “We think that this fun, innovative idea is fantastic.Our learners at Ysgol Gymraeg Brynsierfe­l have told us that the idea of competing in a town-wide game is really exciting.

“They are involving parents, family members and friends, and are telling us everything about how people are getting out and about, walking, cycling and scooting.

“Our teachers can even be seen talking walks around Llwynhendy during their lunchbreak­s. We have received nothing but positive feedback from all involved.

“Beat the Street is a truly wonderful resource that improves both physical and mental wellbeing. We’re looking forward to future Beat the Street games already.”

Beat the Street Llanelli is being provided by Intelligen­t Health, commission­ed by Carmarthen­shire Council and supported by Sport Wales.

Paolo Piana, chair of Llanelli Community Partnershi­p, said: “We are delighted to support the Beat the Street programme and it’s great to see people out exercising and exploring new areas.

“It’s amazing how we tend to stick to the same tried and tested routes and how the game has opened up the idea of exploring the town on foot, which reveals new areas and parks you might not have known about, even if you’ve lived here for years.”

“Beat the Street is a positive and community-focused way of encouragin­g people to get more active, by walking, cycling, rolling and wheeling around this beautiful area.”

Anyone of any age is invited to take part in the free game and you can still get involved for the remaining weeks.

Just pick up a card from one of the distributi­on points listed on the Llanelli Beat the Street website.

Simply register your card, join a team and get playing. For more informatio­n, news and frequently asked questions, follow @BTSLlanell­i on social media platforms.

 ?? INTELLIGEN­T HEALTH ?? Ffion Westen and Chloe Ellis playing Beat the Street in Llanelli, which runs until November 9.
INTELLIGEN­T HEALTH Ffion Westen and Chloe Ellis playing Beat the Street in Llanelli, which runs until November 9.

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