TAUNTON is about to be transformed into a giant game.

The Beat the Street Game, backed by National Lottery funding from Sport England, involves innovative physical activity.

It has already engaged more than a million people and will take place in Taunton from June 16 to July 14.

Beat the Street encourages people to get outside and get active and is open to anyone of any age who wants to play.

It works by turning the town into a real-life game and residents will soon start to see special sensors called Beat Boxes appearing on lampposts around the town.

Prior to the start, primary school pupils from participating schools will be provided with fobs, while parents and teachers will receive a card from the school so they can accompany children.

The wider community can pick up a free contactless card from a distribution point listed here.

Players join a school or community team, or you can set up your own with a minimum of six players.

Players then walk, run, scoot, wheel, or cycle between the 37 Beat Boxes, which are spaced half a mile apart – tapping the fobs or cards as they go. The further players travel, the more points they score.

Beat the Street was created by Dr William Bird, an expert in physical activity and the founder of Intelligent Health.

He said: “The Beat the Street game has been designed to encourage communities to incorporate lasting changes into their daily lives that will greatly improve their physical and mental health.

"It also helps reduce congestion and air pollution, improves community cohesion and encourages families to explore the area’s green spaces.

“We know that some people will feel a little uneasy about getting back outside again while we are still living with Covid-19.

"However, the pandemic has shown us that now, more than ever, it is vitally important to ensure that we adopt healthy lifestyle habits around incorporating physical activity into our days and trying to travel in more active ways by walking or cycling.

"There has been discussion about a second wave of Covid-19 and if this does happen, one of the best ways we can prepare for it is to get our bodies ready by building the immune system through physical activity.

"We are so grateful for this National Lottery funding from Sport England, which is enabling us to reach more and more people through Beat the Street.”

Jane Knowles, Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership chief executive, said: “The outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdown has been difficult for many of us, but one small silver lining is that it has given us a unique opportunity to think about the way we do things and perhaps reset our way of life such as ditching the car and walking and cycling more, taking more notice of nature and realising the importance of community.

"We can’t wait to see how far the town can travel together.”

According to research, one in four people in England does less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week, which classes them as inactive.

Four out of five primary school children do not get the recommended amount of exercise of 60 minutes a day.

The game will be jointly run by Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership, Somerset County Council and Somerset West and Taunton Council.

The National Lottery funding from Sport England will not only help people in Taunton to get active, but also to leave a positive legacy to improve the community’s health and wellbeing.

For more information on updates on the game, click here or follow ‘Beat the Street Taunton’ on Facebook and follow @SASPsomerset on twitter and sasp_somerset on Instagram.