E86: We Are Undefeatable - 3 Lessons for Local Success

Alison Whitaker Stewart & Peter Dutton — localising We Are Undefeatable in Blackburn with Darwen

In this episode of BrainFuel, Ruth is joined by Alison Whitaker Stewart, Physical Activity Campaigns Lead at Together in Active Future (a Sport England place-based partner), and Peter Dutton, Senior Engagement Manager at the Richmond Group of Charities.

They share how they took the national We Are Undefeatable campaign and made it work locally — using real residents’ stories, strong system partnerships, and evaluation that goes beyond reach and impressions. This is a practical, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run a behaviour change campaign that actually lands.

🧠 What you’ll learn

• The three things to do first when starting a local campaign: stakeholder buy-in, strategic alignment, and realistic resourcing

• How they built community partnership by recruiting 16 local storytellers through trusted networks

• How to link inspiration to action by signposting directly to local sessions and services

• Why agile content wins (reels, WhatsApp-friendly edits, community-led tweaks)

• How they measured impact with both numbers and qualitative insight

• What “system change” looks like after the campaign goes live

📊 Outcomes & impact shared

• 85% said it showed people with health conditions can be active

• 87% said it showed being active helps you enjoy more of life

• 62% said it encouraged them to visit the campaign website

• Stakeholders reported strong fit with local needs and priorities (including 73% saying it reflected local demographics)

• The work helped trigger ongoing system activity (including funded local offers and continued partnership working)

🚪 Room 101

• Peter: bin “traditional before/after case studies” — the power is in lived experience, emotion, and solidarity

• Alison: bin short-term thinking — campaigns work better when you can build, iterate, and keep going

🎉 Free Event — Making Hidden Voices Heard (26 March 2026)

To celebrate five years of Hidden Voices Heard, we’re hosting a free training event:

📅 26 March 2026
➡️ www.hiddenvoicesheard.com to save your spot.