Sheffield residents rejoice in the sun as temperatures soar - and hit the road for Beat the Street activities

The weather across the city has been enjoyed by many, with people flocking to parks for picnics and sunbathing on the hottest day of the year.

Crookes Park in Sheffield was extremely busy with people taking in the blazing sunshine and meeting friends.

Hundreds of people have also taken part in a fun city-wide challenge today as Beat the Street Sheffield got underway in the city centre today on June 16.

People of all ages were invited to ditch the car and get active for the interactive game that encourages people of all ages to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives and will last a total of six weeks from June 16 to July 28.

A total of 450 beeping and flashing sensors called Beat Boxes have been placed on lampposts around the area for the duration of the six-week game. Primary school pupils 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 contactless card from a distribution point listed at www.beatthestreet.me/sheffield

Nearly 17,000 people have already signed up, and the goal is to get 40,000 people playing. The idea is that the game introduces a competitive element to physical activity, and there are prizes for the teams that travel the furthest and teams with the highest average number of points per player.

Players then walk, roll, scoot, cycle or run between the Beat Boxes scoring points with their fobs or cards as they go. The further players travel, the more points they score, for their community, workplace or school team, with prizes for the teams that travel the furthest. Players can also join The Children’s Hospital Charity team, where points will help Sheffield Children’s win a donation.

Pupils from Wybourn School in Sheffield decided to cycle around the city, to collect points and be more active.

Staff and pupils at Walkley primary school also joined in with the fun and walked around the streets collecting points in their quest to win the competition.

This year’s Beat the Street Sheffield event has been organised by Move More and Sheffield City Council and is delivered by Intelligent Health, with funding from the National Lottery, Sport England and local partners.

Beat the Street was devised by GP Dr William Bird MBE in 2010 to get communities active and to make physical activity accessible to everyone.

More information, including distribution points for players to collect a card and map are available at www.beatthestreet.me/sheffield and on social media @BTSSheffield