One in four people in England live with long-term health conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis and Parkinson’s disease.

A major campaign from Sport England is seeking to connect with this diverse group of people to encourage them to get active. The campaign is based on the insight that people with long-term health conditions often don’t feel that traditional exercise regimes are for them.

In the midst of the emotional and physical challenge posed by long-term health conditions, this campaign delivers on both empathy and understanding. Rather than promoting sport as a one size fits all solution, the diversity which runs through the campaign underlines the fact that rather than being prescriptive, sport can fit in around the challenges of life.

Collaboration is at the heart of this work and the strength of 15 leading health and social care charities backing the campaign adds weight and credibility to the work. Alongside the TV spot, a social campaign #WeAreUndefeatable will encourage people to share their tips on getting active, while social films will help to build this online community of advocates.  

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of Sport England, says that you are twice as likely to be inactive if you have a long-term health condition, but the campaign aims to change this. He explains, “Our research shows the majority of people with a condition would like to be more active. That might be strengthening activities, walking, going to the gym or playing a sport. We know with the right support, sport and physical activity has the ability to change the lives of people living with long-term health conditions for the better.”

The campaign is part of a longer-term drive by Sport England to change cultural and social norms around long-term health conditions and physical activity. 

FCB Inferno have a long-running relationship with Sport England and is also the agency behind the genre-defining This Girl Can campaign, creative work which was the forerunner of a new wave of inclusive advertising. The campaign successfully cut through outdated stereotypes and misconceptions to help 1.6 million women aged 14 to 40 start or begin a sporting activity.

The campaign was based on a killer insight, namely that it is the fear of judgement that is holding women back when it comes to taking up a sporting activity. A significant ‘gender gap’ exists between men and women’s sport and research has shown that girls as young as five declare themselves to be “not sporty”.

This latest work has no doubt learnt heavily from the This Girl Can playbook, underlining the fact that the best creative work doesn’t just broadcast a message, it builds a community.