Schools across Herefordshire have joined the Street Tag revolution and become more active by using an app that has transformed the county into a virtual treasure hunt.
Co-funded by Hereford Council and Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Street Tag is a family-friendly smartphone app that records users’ physical activity and encourages players to score points for their school by walking, running, cycling or scooting past virtual tags located in the local area.
Schools compete against each other over two seasons with fantastic prizes awarded to the top performing schools at the end of each season. By getting involved families also have the chance to win themselves free activity passes that can be used at Halo leisure centres in Herefordshire.
Withington C of E Primary School came top of the schools leaderboard for the first season, collectively racking up over 6 million points and earning the top prize of £500 for their school. Second and third on the leaderboard were Ledbury Primary School and Kingstone Primary School, winning prizes of £200 and £100 respectively.
Sarah Houchen, Head of Learning at Withington Primary School, said:
“We’re delighted to have come top of the Herefordshire schools Street Tag leaderboard. We may be a small school but our families and staff have pulled together and made an amazing effort to not only become more active but to also collect an astonishing number of points for the school. The prize money will make a huge difference to us and we are planning to put it towards large play equipment for our outside area.”
Councillor Carole Gandy, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, added:
“Well done to everyone at Withington C of E Primary School for coming top of the schools Street Tag leaderboard and to Ledbury and Kingstone Primary Schools as runners up.
“We’re really pleased to be partnered with Street Tag following its success in other parts of the country. It’s a great way for Herefordshire students, their families and staff to be more active, get healthier and discover exciting places as they explore their communities and gain vital points towards prizes for their school.”
Lorea Sarobe, Director of Physical Activity and Wellbeing at Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire, said:
“We are delighted to co-fund a brilliant project like Street Tag for the county of Herefordshire.
“Participating in the game is a really positive way to build physical activity into your daily routine, and it is a great opportunity to get the whole family involved on the journey. We cannot wait to see what the second season of the game will bring.”
The second season of Street Tag is running and it’s not too late for more Herefordshire schools to sign up. To find out more, visit the Street Tag webpage.