On May 1 this year, Rowcroft celebrated the completion of a major project, the launch of the new website. Six weeks on from the ‘go live’ date, we would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to the key sponsors of the project, Western Power Distribution and Bluestone 360.
Mark Hawkins, Chief Executive of Rowcroft said, “We are extremely grateful for the contributions from Bluestone 360 and Western Power Distribution in helping us create a stronger digital presence so that we can provide clearer information to our patients, and their family and friends; and to all our supporters so that that it’s simpler to book on one of our events, play our lottery or make a donation. Currently, Rowcroft supports 2000 people every year and we want to expand this to over 2500 by 2023, and our digital presence is a key enabler to help deliver on this vision.”
At the start of the project, Rowcroft’s fundraising team approached Western Power Distribution as they are known for showing an active commitment to the communities they serve. Tracy Carr from WPD said, “Western Power Distribution was delighted to work in partnership with Rowcroft Hospice on the launch of their new website. WPD and Rowcroft share similarities in the support and services they each provide to the local community. Working at the heart of the community and providing an essential service is a strong link we share and want to build upon.”
The website project has also created a new and exciting digital partnership with Bluestone 360. Luke Hopkins, Senior Developer at Bluestone 360 said, “We were excited to have the opportunity to work on the redesign and build of the Rowcroft Hospice website. With a project like this there were many aspects to consider as the organisation has many departments as well as audiences to cater for.”
The concept of ‘user journeys’ has been integral to the decision making leading to the sites new structure. Luke Hopkins explains “The functionality we added to the website was delivered by looking at the different user journeys the audience might take. From creating a bespoke donation system which provides an easy to use platform for the variety of different donations a user can provide, to the events section of the site allowing Rowcroft’s yearly events to really shout and show off their own individual branding.‘
The support from Western Power Distribution and Bluestone 360 has played a vital role in helping Rowcroft to communicate with a growing digital audience, and continue to support patients and families in South Devon.