So in June 2024 we began working with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and other partners to bring We Are Undefeatable to communities across our region.
We Are Undefeatable is a national behaviour change campaign which encourages people with long-term health conditions to stay active.
Exactly what we needed!
But we wanted it to really resonate and to have maximum impact and for that we needed to make the campaign relevant to our residents.
Combining national efforts with local faces
Developed by 15 leading health and social care charities and backed by The National Lottery funding from Sport England, We Are Undefeatable supports people with a range of health conditions, including (but not limited to) arthritis, Alzheimer’s, asthma, cancer, dementia, heart disease and diabetes.
Through We Are Undefeatable, we wanted to support our residents living with these long-term health conditions to lead a full life and to show them that they can actually improve their physical and mental wellbeing by being active.
So, together with partners across the borough, we sought to localise the campaign by featuring Blackburn with Darwen residents living with these conditions and signposting others to local services.
We created bus shelter adverts, images for digital screens in the town centres and a social campaign across multiple accounts and platforms with pictures of our residents living with long-term health conditions being active, and – more importantly – feeling the benefits derived from it.
From boxing and wild swimming to cycling and walking, these inspiring individuals showcased the diverse ways to be active, regardless of their condition.
One of these residents was Ralph.
Ralph has had two heart attacks, a heart bypass and lives with Type 2 Diabetes, which led to him becoming visually impaired.
In films, photos, in print and online, we showed that Ralph loves to swim and how he walks whenever he can to keep as active as possible.
This approach is working!
We’ve seen the power of a localised health initiative, in partnership with a national campaign, to help tackle and reduce health inequalities in our borough.
Working together, we took a whole-systems approach to tackling physical inactivity.
We engaged all stakeholders, including council and health leaders, community, voluntary organisations, the wider public sector, private business and local communities themselves, to make a significant difference to the health and wellbeing of our residents.
Using data-driven insights, including population health data at ward-level, and collaborating with a diverse array of partners, the campaign has gone above and beyond initial expectations and made significant impacts in targeted communities.
The collective strength that resides within our communities is inspiring and empowering.
Through localising We Are Undefeatable and through people like Ralph, we’ve shown the transformative power of collaboration and how together we can create a culture of health and wellbeing in Blackburn with Darwen and beyond.
