PEOPLE in Devizes and Calne managed to travel around the world six times as part of activity challenge Beat the Street.

On Friday prize presentations took place in both towns to celebrate the end of the competition, and the combined efforts of the 8,332 people who took part and travelled 145,534 miles in just six weeks.

This is almost double the original target. Both communities walked, scooted and cycled together to earn points.

Frances Chinemana, associate director of public health at Wiltshire Council, said: “This initiative was all about having fun and I think people in Calne and Devizes really did that. The aim was to help people start or maintain an active lifestyle, which in turn will help to improve their general health and wellbeing.

“It was really embraced by local people and businesses, and the car journeys replaced with walking, scooting and cycling will have undoubtedly helped to improve the air quality in the towns too.”

A prize fund of £1,500 was shared between the winning teams, Southbroom St James’ Academy in Devizes, Fynamore Primary in Calne, Open Blue and Wiltshire Council, which donated its prize to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

As both towns travelled more than the challenge target of 75,000 miles the libraries in Devizes and Calne also received £500 each.

Devizes mayor, Roger Giraud-Saunders, said: “The whole Beat the Street project has been very positive. From the point of view of getting people more active the game concept has been worthwhile. The competition element has encouraged people who may not have got active to get involved.”

The walking, running and cycling competition, where players registered movement via beat boxes which people touched with a card or key fob, took place from May 6 until June 17 with 42 different beat boxes in each town.

The initiative, which aims to increase the amount of exercise people do, was commissioned by Wiltshire Council following work carried out by the Calne Community Air Quality Action Plan Group.

Those who took part can still see how many points and miles they accrued along with the full leadership board by going to www.beatthestreet.me