A digital home for restoration and collaboration.
Partner
Natural England
Programme
LIFE WADER
Services
Nature recovery is complex. Engagement shouldn’t be.
Natural England is leading LIFE WADER – a long-term programme restoring river, coastal, and marine ecosystems across the Northumberland Coast and Tweed catchment.
As the project brought together conservationists, community groups, partners, and European peers, there was an opportunity for us to give the work a clear, accessible digital home – one that could support collaboration now and leave a legacy for the future.
- The challenge
One Place. Many Audiences.
Together, we focused on creating a platform that could:
- Explain complex goals clearly and credibly
- Support ongoing engagement and participation
- Organise a growing body of resources and updates
- Be managed confidently by the LIFE WADER team over the project’s lifespan
This wasn’t just a launch site.
It was an evolving programme hub.
- The strategy
Designing for clarity, access, and longevity.
Working closely with Natural England, we designed and built a website that balances storytelling with usability – accessible, mobile-friendly, GDPR-compliant, and built to grow.
We embedded accessibility, ease of navigation, and scalability from the start – allowing the team to add new content types, features, and stories as the project evolves through its active and legacy phases.
- The output
01.
Engagement first
The homepage brings the project into focus quickly – using strong imagery, clear navigation, and live updates to draw people in.
Key features encourage action:
- A clear Get Involved pathway for volunteering and participation
- News and event updates to keep stakeholders connected
- Simple routes into deeper project information
Information well organised
A strategic site structure makes complex content easy to navigate:
- A central resource hub for publications and guides
- Media galleries that showcase habitats and restoration work
- Clear profiles of the team and partners behind the project
Built for the people running it
An open-source CMS with flexible templates allows the LIFE WADER team to:
- Publish updates, events, and resources with ease
- Keep content current without technical support
- Monitor engagement through integrated analytics
Why it worked.
The LIFE WADER environmental project website now acts as:
- A central hub for stakeholders and partners
- A clear, engaging introduction for new audiences
- A living record of progress, learning, and impact
It supports collaboration today – and leaves a digital legacy for tomorrow.
- What our clients say
“MacMartin have done a fantastic job, your team have all been brilliant, friendly, efficient and professional and we love the site, as does everyone else who has now seen it and let us know. I wanted to thank you for taking this work on at short notice and a busy time for you and doing such a great job. Please convey our thanks to everyone at MacMartin who contributed.”
Liz Humphreys, Project Manager