Marauders Men’s Health is a Welsh charity supporting men’s wellbeing through walks, peer connection, community activities and access to appropriate support.
Design Tribe created Marauders Connect: a welcoming WordPress platform providing English and Welsh-language access, combining clear support pathways and activity information with bespoke registration, personal QR codes and event-day check-in tools.
WHAT WE DID
DESTINATION
Marauders Men’s Health came to us with no existing website and a clear vision for what their digital presence needed to become. The site had to serve men seeking help, referral organisations, volunteers, donors and event attendees through accessible, non-judgemental journeys in both Welsh and English.
They also needed bespoke tools built alongside the WordPress website: a Marauder registration system with unique QR codes, and a dedicated event check-in system to manage attendance, access emergency contact details on the day, and create the reliable data needed to support funding applications.
Everything had to feel welcoming and non-clinical, reflect the Marauders brand, and remain straightforward for a small team to manage.
THE JOURNEY
We mapped the key user journeys, from finding support and activities to registering, checking in, volunteering and connecting with partner organisations.
Cardiff-based Design Tribe then developed one accessible WordPress platform, combining the Marauders brand, clear content architecture, bespoke functionality and third-party integrations.
The site is supported through our managed WordPress hosting, website maintenance and technical support for charities and not-for-profit organisations.
The WordPress website can be viewed at www.marauders-menshealth.org.
Marauders had an established identity with strong foundations. We refined it for consistent digital use, improving contrast, accessibility and application across the website.
The secondary colour palette was given a clear purpose, with each colour linked to one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing. This created a more intuitive visual system while helping each area of the site feel distinct.
We also refined the existing Five Ways illustration set for improved contrast and accessibility, and created a mini brand guide to support consistent use across digital and campaign communications.
Bricolage Grotesque became the primary typeface, chosen for its clarity, confidence and flexibility across screen sizes.
Kalam Bold was retained as a warmer accent, adding a more human and approachable character that reflects Marauders’ community-led ethos.
Visitors can filter upcoming Marauders activities by type, with custom cards showing key details at a glance. Each session page includes walk grading, What3Words location, photos, volunteering information, calendar links and social sharing, while unused fields are hidden automatically.
For Walk & Talk sessions, editors select a grade in WordPress and the correct guide appears on the page. A weekly homepage calendar is also managed directly in WordPress, with no page editing required.
“Design Tribe delivered an exceptional charity website that completely surpassed our technical expectations, while also providing the creative insight needed to beautifully refine our branding.
We can now effortlessly publish our busy events calendar, manage an automated Marauder sign-up function, feature clear volunteer calls-to-action, and showcase a superb partner directory. Post-launch, we are finding the WordPress platform incredibly intuitive and easy to use.”
Greg Orrell
Project Co-Ordinator
The Become a Marauder journey starts with a straightforward registration form on the WordPress website, where new Marauders provide their details and emergency contact information.
On submission they’re shown their unique QR code on-screen (alongside their Marauder number) and emailed a copy to keep.
The QR code acts as a unique credential, securely linking each Marauder to their registration record and emergency contact details.
On event days, leaders log into a dedicated check-in page, select the relevant activity, and scan Marauders’ QR codes using their phones as they arrive.
Leaders can also search for Marauders by name, email, phone number or Marauder ID. Each scan securely retrieves the information needed to manage attendance and, where necessary, access emergency contact details.
The system records each check-in automatically, creating dependable attendance data for safeguarding, funding applications and impact reporting. The system is now used by Marauders’ leaders at live activities and events.
The community partner directory is built as a custom post type within WordPress, with structured fields including logo, description, categories, location and contact details. Visitors can filter partners by service type and location. Each listing adapts to the information available, keeping the directory clear and consistent even when partners provide different levels of detail. Editors manage listings from straightforward WordPress admin screens.
We integrated automatic Welsh translation to provide a Welsh-language version of the website from launch, avoiding delays while waiting for a complete manual translation. The Marauders team can review and refine individual translations directly within WordPress, creating a practical route towards a progressively human-reviewed bilingual website without leaving Welsh-speaking visitors with an incomplete experience.
The website was designed and developed with WCAG 2.2 AA principles in mind, including legible typography, strong colour contrast, logical heading structures, visible focus states and keyboard-accessible interactive elements. This accessible WordPress design approach helps make the site welcoming, clear and straightforward to use for the broadest possible audience across desktop, tablet and mobile.
“Tom is lovely to work with; very responsive, committed and genuinely cares about the work he does. He goes above and beyond, is very honest about expectations, and is brilliant at answering any questions in a timely manner. He created a fantastic website for us and really seems to want the charity to succeed. Thanks, Tom!”
Cristie McMurray
CEO, Marauders Men’s Health
IMPACT
Marauders moved from having no dedicated website to operating a professional bilingual platform that supports both public engagement and day-to-day service delivery. The registration and check-in systems have made attendance easier to manage, strengthened on-the-day safeguarding and created dependable data for funding applications and impact reporting.
The website gives the team direct control over activities, events, partner organisations, stories and volunteering opportunities through an intuitive WordPress CMS. Its stronger and more consistent public presence has helped reinforce Marauders’ credibility with beneficiaries, partners and funders alike. As CEO Cristie McMurray explained, the website and QR check-in system have helped beneficiaries “see us as a real charity”.
Design Tribe continues to provide managed WordPress hosting, maintenance and ongoing development support as Marauders’ services and digital requirements grow.
Need charity website design or bespoke WordPress web development? Contact us and we’ll help you plan the right next steps.
