Putting Carers First: Behind the Scenes of WAC’s Website Redesign

I look after my friend who has anxiety and depression - I am a carer

I look after my mum who has dementia - I am a carer

I look after my granddaughter who has autism - I am a carer

I look after my son who has a physical disability - I am a carer

I look after my partner who has had a stroke - I am a carer

I look after my wife who has cancer - I am a carer

Over the past couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside the incredible team at Worcestershire Association of Carers (WAC) to develop their brand new website.

From the outset, it was clear how passionate this charity is about supporting unpaid carers across the county. Their work is genuinely life-changing and so it was important that their online presence reflected that. But like many growing organisations, their old website had started to show its age.

Understanding What Really Matters

The first step was heading over to WAC’s offices for a Web Strategy Workshop. It was important to me to get to know the charity – not just what they do, but why they do it, who for, who they collaborate with and how we could make sure that came across clearly online.

We looked at what was and wasn’t working. Navigation was a big issue – the menu was overloaded, there was no logical flow and the layout lacked consistency. Over time, all the important information was added to the menu to make it easier to find – but it had the opposite effect. The overall messaging was confused and it wasn’t immediately clear how to get involved or access help. And with so many different stakeholders to consider – carers, partners, volunteers, fundraisers – the website had to work hard for everyone.

I worked closely with Jenny Hewitt, their Marketing & Communications Manager, who had the overall vision for the website, and the ever-organised Jane Conway, Business Support Manager, to understand how we could bring clarity, structure, and purpose to the new site.

Keeping Things Moving

With their existing hosting due to end – and a fast-approaching Carers Week launch date – we knew we had a tight turnaround. Regular in-person visits were key to keeping everything moving and maintaining momentum. These face-to-face meetings made a huge difference. They allowed us to quickly troubleshoot, gather feedback and keep the project aligned with WAC’s wider goals.

Everyone at WAC rolled up their sleeves and got involved. It was a real team effort – from gathering content and reviewing layouts to refining key messaging and making sure every page added value.

What We Delivered

The result? A clean, simple, intuitive new website that puts carers at the heart of everything.

Visitors can now quickly understand who WAC are, what they do, and how they can help. Whether someone’s looking to make a referral, access resources, or get involved, it’s now clear, easy to navigate, and user-friendly across devices.

Some key features include:

• Two bespoke referral forms, designed to simplify access to support.
  

• A secure donation form that links to their Stripe account, making it easier for people to give. https://www.carersworcs.org.uk/donate
  

• A new Carers Information Hub – a central place for vital information, advice, and downloadable resources.
  

• Integration of their existing ChatBot system, fully branded to sit seamlessly within the new site.
  

• A dedicated ‘Get Involved’ section, encouraging volunteering, donations, and visits to their charity shop. https://www.carersworcs.org.uk/get-involved

Thank you for the gorgeous roses X

A Real Privilege

It’s been a genuine privilege to support the Worcestershire Association of Carers in this project. This is how Jenny Hewitt, Marketing and Communications Manager for Worcestershire Association of Carers described working with Citrus Web,

"From the moment we put out the proposal for a new website developer, we knew we needed someone just right for the role. With our contract with the previous provider coming to an end, we had limited time to turn things around. We had big ideas and clear goals for an accessible, user-friendly self-serve website tailored for carers and patients using our services.

Our previous website didn’t showcase us as an organisation, who we are and what we do. It was not fit for purpose, lacking some of the necessary information and functions for users to access our services. We needed to ensure that events were bookable, referrals were easy to make both for the carer and for professionals, and donation functions were prominent. As a charity, we have numerous ways for people to get involved, from sharing their experiences and making donations to volunteering and recruitment. It was essential to present this clearly and in keeping with our modern branding, simplifying the often-overwhelming navigation of services and information for carers.

Helen came to us with a proposal that highlighted her research into our organisation and what the new website would need. Her understanding and commitment to supporting us to represent our values immediately stood out, and we were sold. Our strategy session with her proved to be a vibrant, dynamic workshop that allowed us to focus on our identity and how to showcase the nearly 30 years of experience we have supporting carers. We had been working on our branding and resources over the past year and wanted to replicate that in the new website. Helen guided us through this process, ensuring we captured everything we aimed for within the tight timeline.

Her dedication to understanding our requirements was exceptional. Helen worked tirelessly to build the website and was extremely responsive to questions, queries and No sooner had we provided content or updates, Helen was on it. We could not have achieved the turnaround we did without her focus and commitment, and a good few giggles and cake along the way! In fact, Helen quickly learnt my favourite cake and made efforts to bring that with her to our sessions. Sometimes it is the small things that make the difference! We pride ourselves on our partnership and collaborative working, and Helen's commitment was evident throughout the project.

We are extremely grateful for the work she has done. We have already received positive feedback about how much better the website is for users. Helen continues to offer support and shares our belief in our charity's mission, supporting us on social media and helping us to raise awareness of what we do.

Choosing to work with Helen was undoubtedly the right decision, and I couldn't recommend her highly enough. Jenny Hewitt, Marketing and Communications Manager Worcester Association of Carers

Working with small, local charities like Worcestershire Association of Carers is my ideal kind of web project – using the power of good design and copy to amplify the impact of organisations doing amazing things in the community.

Huge thanks to Jenny, Jane and the whole WAC team for your warmth, hard work, and dedication throughout the process. The care you show to unpaid carers and the wider community shines through in everything you do, and I’m proud to have played a small part in helping you reach even more people. I look forward to supporting you, the essential work you do for the community and your new website.

If you're a local charity, with a website that needs a bit or a lot of TLC, please call me on 0770 410 5954 for a friendly chat or you can send me a message helen@citrusweb.co.uk