Traditional awareness campaigns often struggle to reach people who have little connection to formal health services or who may feel uncomfortable engaging with public health messaging. The brief required engagement with: 

• Expectant parents and their families. 

• People at greater risk of alcohol-exposed pregnancies. 

• Communities experiencing health inequalities. 

• Groups often described as “hard to reach”.  

Early conversations also highlighted a number of realities: 

• Awareness of FASD was very low. 

• People were confused by conflicting messages about alcohol and pregnancy. 

• Campaigns needed to reach whole communities, not just pregnant women. 

• Messages needed to avoid blame and judgement. 

• Creative approaches would be needed to reach voices not usually heard.  

Most importantly, communities told us that whatever we created needed to be simple, accessible, family-friendly and something people would genuinely enjoy being part of.  

Rather than creating a traditional communications campaign, we worked with communities to design a craftivism movement. 

Craftivism combines craft and activism, using creativity as a way to help people reflect, learn and start conversations about important issues in gentle and non-confrontational ways.  

Working with community artist Karen Vine, local residents and community groups, we co-designed what became known as Bonnet Toppers. The idea was beautifully simple: people could make colourful wool bonnet toppers, attach a message, and place them in locations where they might spark curiosity and conversation.  

Together we: 

• Developed the Bonnet Topper concept. 

• Created community resource packs and instruction guides. 

• Produced a step-by-step video. 

• Designed campaign tags and social media resources. 

• Supported community groups to run maker sessions. 

• Worked with community collaborators to place bonnet toppers across Bury. 

• Developed seasonal campaigns linked to Alcohol Awareness Week, Halloween, Christmas and Dry January.  

The campaign encouraged people to: 

• Make. 

• Share. 

• Place. 

• Talk. 

• Learn.  

Rather than telling people what to think, the bonnet toppers invited curiosity and conversation. 

What started as a community engagement project quickly grew into something much larger. 

The campaign achieved: 

• More than 300 bonnet toppers created. 

• Over 100 social media posts. 

• More than 500 photographs shared. 

• Engagement through workshops, community resources and local campaigns. 

• Bonnet toppers placed in over 50 community locations and businesses across Bury.  

Perhaps more importantly, it reached people who would never have attended a traditional awareness session. Workshops engaged diverse groups, including women experiencing health inequalities and members of BAME communities.  

Community collaborators reported that: 

• Many people had never heard about the risks of drinking during pregnancy. 

• Awareness of FASD was very limited. 

• People responded positively to the creative approach. 

• Conversations continued beyond the initial engagement, with people making bonnet toppers with friends and family.  

The campaign also left a lasting legacy through: 

• Community packs. 

• Digital resources. 

• Social media assets. 

• Instructional materials. 

• The creation of the Bury Craftivists group.  

What began as an awareness project became a growing community movement. 

People rarely change their thinking because they are handed a leaflet. They change because somebody they trust starts a conversation. 

This project taught us that creativity can open doors that traditional engagement often can’t. 

The bonnet toppers themselves were never really the point. They were an invitation. An invitation to be curious. To ask questions. To learn something new. To talk about an issue that many people would otherwise avoid.  

We also learned the power of meeting people where they are. Some of the richest conversations happened not in formal workshops, but in community groups, cafés, businesses and everyday places. The creative process made it easier to discuss a sensitive subject without people feeling criticised or judged.  

Perhaps the biggest lesson was this. Communities are often far more willing to engage in change than we assume. What they need is an invitation that feels human. 

At Collaborate Out Loud, we believe some of the most important conversations start in unexpected ways. In this project, those conversations started with a cardboard tube, a piece of wool and a simple act of creativity. 

Sometimes the smallest ideas create the biggest ripples.