Accessible Charity Website Design in Torquay, Devon
Purple Angel Dementia Awareness is a respected charity based in Torquay, Devon, dedicated to supporting people living with dementia and raising awareness worldwide.
With hubs across multiple countries, the organisation has built an incredible global network of volunteers, carers, and healthcare advocates.
However, their website no longer reflected the scale or importance of their work.
This project focused on delivering a complete website redesign centred around accessibility, clarity, and community engagement, ensuring that visitors from around the world could easily access information, support, and resources.
The Challenge
Purple Angel Dementia Awareness approached me with a clear problem.
Although the charity is recognised globally, their website had become outdated and difficult for users to navigate.
Key issues included:
- An outdated design that no longer reflected the organisation’s impact.
- Poor accessibility standards, particularly for users with visual impairments.
- Dark backgrounds and low contrast that made content difficult to read.
- Confusing navigation and inconsistent page structure.
- Missing functionality such as donation systems and interactive community features.
For a charity supporting people affected by dementia, accessibility and clarity are absolutely essential.
The new website needed to be simple, readable, and welcoming for a wide range of users, including:
- dementia patients
- caregivers and families
- healthcare professionals
- volunteers
- international supporters
The challenge was to design a website that could communicate compassion while remaining clear and highly functional.
The Strategy
The project began with a full website audit, identifying barriers to accessibility, navigation issues, and missed opportunities for engagement.
Working closely with Rachel Dunning and the Purple Angels team, the website was rebuilt from the ground up with a strong focus on accessibility, usability, and emotional connection.
The strategy focused on four core improvements:
- Brand refresh and accessibility improvements
- Clear user journeys and navigation structure
- Interactive global features
- Integrated donation functionality
Each element was designed to ensure the website supports the charity’s mission as effectively as possible.
Brand Refresh & Accessibility Improvements
The first step was refreshing the Purple Angels brand while maintaining its recognisable identity.
Purple is a central part of the organisation’s visual identity, so the design introduced stronger contrast, larger typography, and clearer layouts while preserving the iconic colour palette.
The new website was built using modern WCAG 2.1 accessibility principles, ensuring it can be used comfortably by a wide range of visitors.
Accessibility improvements included:
- high colour contrast for text and buttons
- larger, legible fonts
- generous spacing and simplified layouts
- consistent visual hierarchy across pages
These changes transformed the site into a platform that is bright, welcoming, and easy to read, even for users with visual or cognitive challenges.
Improved User Journey & Navigation
The charity serves a diverse audience, from people living with dementia to healthcare organisations and international volunteers.
Because of this, the site’s information architecture was completely redesigned to prioritise clarity and empathy.
Visitors can now easily navigate to key areas such as:
- support and advice resources
- global hub information
- volunteer opportunities
- donation pages
- dementia awareness materials
Every page was planned with the mindset of someone searching for help or information, ensuring visitors can quickly find what they need without frustration.
Interactive Maps & Global Community Features
One of Purple Angel’s most unique strengths is its global network of community hubs.
To support this, the website now includes interactive maps allowing users to locate their nearest Purple Angel hub anywhere in the world.
These maps make it easy for people to:
- connect with local dementia support groups
- discover awareness campaigns
- find community resources
Alongside this, dynamic bulletin boards were introduced, allowing the charity to share updates, events, and news with supporters worldwide.
This transforms the website into a living platform for the Purple Angel community.
Online Donations & Fundraising
For the first time, the charity now has an integrated online donation system.
This feature allows supporters from anywhere in the world to contribute directly through the website.
Online donations provide a powerful new fundraising channel and allow the charity to build passive, ongoing support for its work.
It’s a small technical feature with a huge long-term impact on the organisation’s sustainability.
The Impact
The new website now acts as the central hub for the Purple Angel global community.
The redesign achieved several key outcomes:
- A modern, accessible website aligned with the charity’s mission.
- Clear navigation that makes finding support resources simple and intuitive.
- Interactive features that connect global Purple Angel hubs.
- A secure online donation system supporting future fundraising efforts.
- Improved SEO performance targeting terms such as “accessible website design Devon,” “Torquay charity web design,” and “dementia awareness website.”
The result is a digital platform that truly reflects the heart of the Purple Angel movement: compassion, awareness, and community.
Customer Feedback
“My name is Rachel and I am the Chairperson of the charity Purple Angel Dementia Awareness.
The original website we had was quite dated and quite dark, making it difficult to see the information clearly. Sam looked at the existing site and asked the right questions to design something far more friendly and easier to navigate.
He listened carefully to what we needed and designed a website that has everything we asked for. It’s bright, easy to read and simple to update, even for someone like me who isn’t very technical.
Sam’s friendly and understanding approach made this one of the easiest projects I’ve ever undertaken. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to update or create a new website.”
Rachel Dunning
Chairperson, Purple Angel Dementia Awareness
(Charity No. 1189616)
Why Local Organisations in Devon Need an Accessible Website
For charities and community organisations, a website is often the first place people turn when they need help or information.
But many older websites unintentionally create barriers for users.
Accessible website design ensures that people can:
- read content comfortably
- navigate pages easily
- access support resources quickly
For organisations supporting vulnerable groups, accessibility isn’t just a design choice.
It’s a responsibility.
A well-designed website allows charities to reach more people, build stronger communities, and amplify their mission.
Looking for Website Design in Torquay or South Devon?
If you run a charity, small business, or community organisation, I specialise in website design for organisations across Torquay, Torbay, and South Devon.
Every website is designed to:
- prioritise accessibility and usability
- perform well in local search results
- clearly communicate your mission or services
Whether you need a new website, redesign, or improved accessibility, the goal is always the same: build a website that genuinely works for the people who need it.
Sam Evans Snaps – Website Design Torquay
