A six-week fitness challenge called Beat the Street is launching today, February 3, 2026, to encourage people in Bloxwich, West Midlands, to get outdoors and stay active. The game turns the town into a giant game board where residents can win prizes by walking, cycling or wheeling between contactless detectors called Beat Boxes mounted on lampposts around the community.
Participants use contactless cards or the Beat the Street mobile app to tap Beat Boxes at local spots such as the Bloxwich Active Living Centre and King George V Playing Fields. Players earn 10 points for each Beat Box they visit; visiting two Beat Boxes within an hour creates a “journey” (worth 20 points). Live leaderboards track the progress of local schools, community groups and individual players.
The programme is being delivered by Intelligent Health in partnership with Walsall Council and is supported by Sport England using National Lottery funding. Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Health and Wellbeing at Walsall Council, said the aim is to make exercise more fun and to remove the usual barriers that stop people from being active.
Funding from the National Lottery via Sport England is intended to help improve health in lower-activity urban areas. The 2026 rollout is a return to the borough following a major iteration in March 2023, when thousands of residents took part and collectively travelled more than 100,000 miles.
Card distribution began in local schools and libraries in late January to prepare for the launch. The six-week game runs until mid-March 2026 and encourages residents to discover local green spaces and the Walsall Canal towpaths while finding joy in simple movement.
