Community Health Partnerships

When AccessAble and Community Health Partnerships approached Surfr Media with the idea of producing a stop motion animation series inspired by classic British storytelling, we immediately knew this would become one of our most ambitious and meaningful creative productions to date.

The series of films was commissioned to support the launch of a new collection of Detailed Access Guides produced by AccessAble for healthcare environments across the UK. These guides are designed to empower disabled people, carers and individuals with long-term health conditions by helping them understand whether a venue, healthcare facility or public space is suitable for their specific access requirements before they arrive.

At the heart of the project was a shared belief that accessibility and inclusivity should never feel like an afterthought. The campaign needed to communicate important accessibility information in a way that felt warm, human, memorable and emotionally engaging while helping highlight the wider importance of diversity, inclusion and accessible environments throughout healthcare and society as a whole.

The brief involved designing and building bespoke stop motion puppets based on real people, constructing miniature accessible environments from scratch and bringing every scene to life through handcrafted animation. Although we had previously produced stop motion content for commercial campaigns, this production pushed us into entirely new creative territory and became a true multidisciplinary creative process involving filmmaking, character design, model making, accessibility awareness and storytelling.

From puppet fabrication and silicone moulding to armature construction, accessible set design, prop building and frame-by-frame animation, every stage of the process became an opportunity to experiment, collaborate and problem solve creatively. The entire production was filmed in-house at our Southport studio, where miniature healthcare environments, waiting rooms, reception areas and accessibility-focused spaces were carefully designed and handcrafted to create a tactile cinematic world inspired by the charm and craftsmanship of traditional British stop motion filmmaking.

Authenticity was central to the success of the films. Using genuine conversations and real experiences from the individuals represented by the puppets, the animation series captured honest stories with warmth, humour and personality. Every detail – from expressive hand gestures and character movements to the layout of accessible healthcare environments – was carefully considered to ensure the productions felt inclusive, representative and human-centred throughout.

Beyond the creative and technical aspects of the production itself, the project became a powerful example of how animation and storytelling can be used to communicate important messages around accessibility, inclusivity and disability awareness in ways that audiences genuinely connect with emotionally. By using handcrafted stop motion animation rather than traditional corporate video approaches, the campaign created a distinctive visual identity that immediately stood apart while remaining approachable, engaging and accessible to a wide audience.

The final result was a handcrafted series of three stop motion films combining puppet making, set construction, animation, accessibility-focused design and cinematic storytelling to create engaging educational content with real character and emotional connection. The series not only supported the launch of the Detailed Access Guides but also helped reinforce the importance of accessible design, inclusive thinking and representation across healthcare, public spaces and modern society.

CHP Regional Director, Simon Waters, said,

This was a real adventure for me – seeing the scripts come together, the puppets being born, and then watching them come to life through the magic of stop motion – I always found something new with each rewatch.

This production remains one of the clearest examples of how thoughtful creative storytelling can help organisations communicate complex social messages in ways that are visually memorable, emotionally engaging and genuinely impactful.