Encouraging whole community
participation
Peter McCormick
Presentation aims
1. To provide a brief overview of Beat the Street in Dumfries
and Galloway
2. To provide information on how Beat the Street was
delivered
3. To provide high level results on Beat the Street
4. Lessons learned / Conclusions
What is Beat the Street?
• Innovative approach encouraging daily physical activity
• A real life walking/cycling game accessible to the whole
community Provided exclusively by Intelligent Health
• A collective community challenge to walk round the world
• A cross-sector partnership between Intelligent Health and
Dumfries and Galloway
Why Beat the Street?
A commitment to evidenced based practice including:
• Community mass participation
• Engagement across the life-course and associated benefits
• Behaviour change in physical activity
• Behaviour change towards active travel. Strategically
placing Beat Boxes across communities encouraging
active travel journeys
Funding
• Beat the Street Game Annan and Dalbeattie
£86,620
• Engagement extension and mini game
£22,800
• Matched by CWSS / Cycling Capital fund D.G.C. and
Swestrans Active Travel Capital Programme.
Why Beat the Street – Dumfries & Galloway
• High levels of inactivity across population
• Growing older adult population
• Increasing number of people living with 2+ long term
conditions (LTC)
Supporting inactive people to be active will bring significant
health and economic gains most easily delivered through
walking
Beat the Street Objectives
Enhance
community
cohesion
Connect
people to
place
Enhanced
community
health
& wellbeing
Decrease
inactivity
Increase
physical
activity
Dumfries and Galloway – Set-up
• 2 towns identified for Beat the Street
o Annan (9,000) / Dalbeattie (4,200)
• Both towns had a community focus on physical activity
• Local project manager appointed leading community
engagement and enhance partnership working
• 6 week game: 1st September-Monday 12th October 2015
• 20 boxes Annan / 18 boxes Dalbeattie
Community Engagement Approach
• Cross sector working
• Engagement reached all
areas of the community
• Community events
• Community led
• Taking fun seriously
Methodology
Extensive mixed methods evaluation included in bid
• Community survey before and immediately after initiative
– Annan
– Dalbeattie
• Data analysis from Beat Boxes
• Feedback from social media
• Return on investment
Results: Overview (Beat Box Analysis)
% Registered
Annan
Dalbeattie
Total town engaged
39%
36%
Total participants
3,145
1,552
% 50+ years
18%
25%
Participants classed
as inactive
55%
51%
Trips by inactive
participants
46%
42%
% LTC
13%
14%
330,894
158,361
Total swipes
Results – Enhancing Community cohesion
• 64% Annan and
80% Dalbeattie
reported ‘feeling
part of the
community’ was a
main benefit of
Beat the Street
“I am a volunteer befriender
and did Beat the Street with
my young person. It really
helped us to bond, giving us
a
fun
activity
to
do
together.”
Annan Participant
Results: Increasing physical activity
% Registered
Annan
Dalbeattie
Change in proportion meeting CMO
recommendations
>10%*
>6%
>0.5 days
no change
>0.5
>1
Change in people doing 0-2 days
physical activity over past week
<16%*
<4%
Change in people reporting cycling
once a week
>14%*
>13%*
Reported taken car less (post only)
56%
54%
Change in average days CMO
recommendations met
Change in number days walked 15+
minutes over past week
Results: Connecting people with place
• Beat the Street had
helped them get out
more (91%), learn
more about their
local area (90%)
and feel more
involved in their
community
• 36 teams signed up
to the challenge
including schools,
GP practices and
businesses.
•
“It got my wife and I out walking as
we are 73 years old it keeps you
moving and motivated. Plus the
people you meet and speak to all
helps to keep it interesting. Also we
have a different view of Dalbeattie
now. It is a very interesting town,
very clean, tidy houses and gardens.
It has all been worthwhile”
Dalbeattie participant
Results: Behaviour change
• 9 out of 10 people in
Annan and Dalbeattie
said they would try to
continue
with
the
changes they made!
• People with LTC equally
likely to report benefits
Results: Return on Investment
For every £1 spent on Beat the Street, after 2 years the
following savings are generated:
Annan
Dalbeattie
Concluding thoughts
• Beat the Street captured the imagination of two towns
• It was fun
• Health and Wellbeing of communities improved
• Connections at every level
• The programme provides a positive return on investment
Lessons Learned
• It was an off the Shelf proven product
• To maximise benefit significant partnership input is
required
• Local Project Manager is Key
• Truly inclusive
• Communities are positive
• The programme provides a positive return on investment
• Use the product you have purchased.