Residents celebrate being Undefeatable!

An event to thank local residents who took part in the We Are Undefeatable campaign in Blackburn with Darwen has highlighted its positive impact to encourage people living with long term health conditions to be active.

The event at Blackburn Rovers’ Wellbeing Hub on Wednesday 26 February was attended by the We Are Undefeatable ‘storytellers’, the people who shared their stories about how physical activity helps them manage their health conditions.

People from organisations that support them to be active, including re:fresh and Age UK, were also at the event.

We Are Undefeatable is a national campaign led by 15 leading health and social care charities, backed by National Lottery funding through Sport England. It aims to inspire and support people living with long-term health conditions to be more active. In Blackburn with Darwen the campaign features the real-life stories of local residents, and how they find their own ways to move more. 

The campaign featured prominently on bus shelters, digital screens, social media and print advertising in the summer and autumn of 2024, and will continue in a variety of different ways in   2025 and beyond.

Evaluation of the campaign is underway, and initial findings show that it has reached tens of thousands of people in Blackburn with Darwen, with 1 in 2 residents feeling inspired to take action as a result of seeing the campaign.

The public reaction to the campaign has been very positive with 9 in 10 stating that it shows people living with long term health conditions can be active, and that it shows how moving more can enable people to enjoy more in life. Almost half of residents surveyed took action as a result of seeing the campaign, including starting on their physical activity journey, increasing their activity levels, speaking to others about being more active, and reaching out to local providers for more support.

Peter Dutton, National Activation Manager for the We Are Undefeatable campaign, said:

It’s been a fantastic journey localising We Are Undefeatable in Blackburn with Darwen, and it’s important that we stop to celebrate the impact and achievements to date, alongside campaign storytellers and many local partners involved. The campaign has been well-recognised across the borough. It has provided positive physical activity messaging and imagery for people living with health conditions, and has inspired people to take action as a result.

This campaign has received both local and national recognition, with Blackburn with Darwen leading the way as a trailblazer. The campaign has provided rich learning to date, and the best practice that has been unearthed is already influencing other places and organisations to take similar approaches across England.

Saima Ashraf MBE featured in the campaign as a woman with visual impairment with a love for playing blind baseball. She commented:

I’m really proud of being a part of the campaign. I think it helped to challenge some misconceptions that despite having long term health conditions or disabilities, we don’t just sit at home. We can still be physically active, and that has a massive impact on our health and wellbeing.

Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Brian Taylor, attended the event to present the We Are Undefeatable storytellers with personalised thank you cards. Councillor Taylor said:

It was wonderful to be able to share thanks with these local residents and to meet the people I’ve seen on bus shelters and billboards around the borough. By openly sharing their own personal health stories, they have undoubtedly helped others to see how, despite living with physical and mental health conditions, that being active can help them. They are truly inspirational!

More findings from the evaluation of the We Are Undefeatable campaign in Blackburn with Darwen are expected to be available in the spring.