Well done Watford, you’ve Beaten the Street!

Residents of Watford have walked, cycled, run and scooted their way to the 500,000 mile Beat the Street target in just six weeks, securing a £1,000 donation for New Hope.

Additionally, The Grove Academy won a £500 prize as the overall winner thanks to the children, parents and staff who between them pounded over 12,000 miles of streets. Runners-up were Bromet primary school, who secured themselves £250 for their efforts. The prize money was donated by Murrill Construction.

Anne Heywood, Principal at The Grove Academy, said: "We are so delighted to have won the highest point score in Watford. Our parents have really got behind Beat the Street, encouraging each other to get out and about.  Children have enjoyed using their fobs, and the weekly comic prize has been a brilliant extra incentive to literally go that extra mile. More activity outdoors is so good for all of us. We are also delighted that the local charity we support, New Hope, is benefiting from this initiative."

Outgoing headteacher of Bromet school, Yvonne Graves, said: "The children, parents and staff have all loved doing Beat the Street – we’ve heard of many parents who have been taking their children out walking and cycling before and after school and at weekends.  It’s been a great way of encouraging people to get out and about.”

 The top prize for the average number of points was awarded to Bromet primary school.

Beat the Street, which was commissioned by Hertfordshire County Council, has really captured the imagination of Watford, with stories of people finding new places to explore, making friends, enjoying the community spirit and even losing weight during the six-week walking and cycling challenge.

Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Localism and Libraries, Teresa Heritage, said: “Thank you and congratulations to everyone who took part in the Beat the Street competition. The effort that people have put in has been truly amazing; we have had an overwhelmingly positive response to the initiative."

Dr William Bird, director of Intelligent Health, Beat the Street, added: “It has been a real pleasure to see Watford, Broxbourne, Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead enjoying Beat the Street. It’s proved to be a real talking point amongst local communities and literally life-changing for some of the people who took part.  We’d like to thank Hertfordshire County Council’s Public Health department and Watford Borough Council for their support and vision.”

Just half an hour of walking a day can have a dramatic effect on the long-term health of people of all ages. Hertfordshire is currently celebrating its Year of Walking and there are lots of walking opportunities for those who want to keep up the good habits.

(Source: Hertfordshire County Council)