[3] Bird helped to set up a health forecasting unit at the Met Office where he was clinical director for five years.

[6] Bird set up the first Green Gym at Sonning Common, Oxfordshire in 1998 to promote physical activity and well-being in the participants who volunteer to work on environmental or conservation projects.

[4] Bird set up health walks from his practice in Sonning Common and then worked with the Countryside Agency and the British Heart Foundation to expand it nationally.

Bird said he started the challenge, funded by London Legacies 2012, "to help reduce congestion, improve their health and interact with other children around the world.

"[9] Following the initial success of the competition, Beat the Street has now been launched in more towns and cities with 1,000,000 participants worldwide.