User-centred website for environmental charity, The Rivers Trust.
Launch projectRaising public awareness of Britain’s poor river health
Why The Rivers Trust
“Healthy rivers can play a huge part in reducing the effects of climate change, like flooding and drought. The UK's rivers are some of the unhealthiest in the world.”
Mat Hayward
“Rivers shape our landscapes and provide the foundations of our cities, towns and countryside. When they thrive, so do we.”
Research and discovery
We ran a user needs workshop with the Rivers Trust team, mapping user stories across a remarkably wide range of audiences: donors, member trusts, farmers, wild swimmers, anglers, activists, researchers, corporates, government bodies and journalists. Each group had specific, distinct needs from the platform, and the existing site was serving almost none of them well
Layered content strategy
The site needed to serve all of those audiences without overwhelming any of them. We structured content in layers, moving from top-level statistics and imagery through to detailed reports and educational resources, so every visitor could find what they needed and understand what was at stake. A sewage map showing raw sewage overflows across the UK gave the public a visceral, shareable way to understand the scale of the problem.
Member portal
As the umbrella body for 65 local trusts, the Rivers Trust needed a way for member organisations to promote their own news, events and job vacancies to a wider audience. We built a simple interface giving each member trust the tools to manage and publish their own content independently.
Encouraging action
We built an “Email Your Representative” feature pulling data from UK, Irish and devolved parliaments, giving visitors a direct, simple way to contact their elected representative about river health. In 2025, the Water (Special Measures) Act passed through UK parliament.
Donations
We integrated a donation form directly with Donorfy, with suggested donation amounts and clear messaging about the impact each contribution could make.
