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.

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

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)

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

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.