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Building community through design

We had the privilege of working with Children’s Heartbeat Trust to build a new web presence that embodies its commitment to improving the lives of children and young people with congenital heart disease.

Industry Charity and non-profit
Location Northern Ireland
Services
Graphic Design, Motion Design, Photography, Strategy, UX/UI Design, Web Development

Context

In Northern Ireland, around 4,000 children and young people live with congenital heart disease. Children’s Heartbeat Trust exists to empower and support them. For children and their families, the challenges go far beyond surgery and hospital stays. Without the right support systems in place, many face overwhelming stress, anxiety, and a deep sense of isolation.

Children’s Heartbeat Trust is committed to developing a wide range of support services that are informed by research, evidence, and the most pressing needs of families. They work together with children, parents, and clinical teams to create these services, ensuring families can access high-quality medical, practical, and emotional support at every stage of their heart disease journey.

Key Objectives

Without Children’s Heartbeat Trust, there would be no tailored support for families, from pregnancy through to post-treatment and beyond, leaving them to navigate the challenges of heart disease on their own.

Children’s Heartbeat Trust’s website no longer reflected the organisation’s professionalism and vibrancy. It was difficult to update, visually dated, and lacked the tools to tell their stories or fundraise in a modern way. Big+Bold was appointed through a competitive tender to lead a full redesign and redevelopment of the site—one that would empower the charity’s internal team, honour the emotional depth of their work, and engage supporters’ generosity.

 

Create a visually engaging and emotionally resonant website

The new web presence had to reflect the trust, care, and community that are at the heart of Children’s Heartbeat Trust.

Empower the team

The team at Children’s Heartbeat Trust needed the flexibility to update content, share news, and manage donations without relying on developers.

Enhance visitor journeys and smooth the path to donation 

The new site needed intuitive navigation, storytelling features, and tools to prompt giving at the appropriate moment.

Establish a flexible, future-resistant architecture 

We built the new site on WordPress and Elementor, allowing elegant design to integrate with user-friendly tools for content development and site expansion.

Action

We began by working closely with the charity’s leadership and communications team to fully understand the relevant audiences—from families and young people navigating a CHD diagnosis, to donors, medical professionals, and policymakers.

We rebuilt the Children’s Heartbeat Trust website from the ground up using WordPress with the Elementor block-based editor, providing the team with control over content layout and future page creation. This CMS configuration enabled them to easily share updates and insights.

Website redesign

Visually, we brought heart to every element of the user experience. The site includes:

  • A dynamic, beating heart donation counter that updates in real-time and gently draws attention to giving opportunities, with controls to remove it from sensitive pages (such as bereavement support).
  • Lightweight animations and visual cues bring warmth without compromising performance.
  • Short video and podcast content blocks engage visitors in Children’s Heartbeat Trust’s stories and key messages.
  • An elegant donation portal built directly into the site, replacing the previous need to redirect users to third-party platforms.
  • A redesigned research and advocacy section, structured to avoid fragmentation and improve clarity.

Photography

In addition, Big+Bold provided bespoke photography, capturing staff portraits, family stories, and community events across three separate shoots — including time spent in the Clark Clinic at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and a local family day. These visuals feature throughout the new site, lending it authenticity and emotional impact. We also reviewed the site’s content to ensure it fit perfectly with the new site’s structure and features. 

Outcome

Children’s Heartbeat Trust now has a flexible, well-designed, and engaging platform—a digital manifestation of its commitment to children and young people living with CHD. 

It’s easier to update, manage donations, and engage a wide and growing community. Every aspect of the new site is rooted in empathy and impact, from the visual design and UX to the photography and donor tools.

Susan Greer, Communications and Marketing Manager at Children’s Heartbeat Trust, praised our work. 

“Working with Big+Bold to build our new website was a fantastic experience from start to finish. The team took the time to understand our organisation, listened to our needs, and brought creative ideas and solutions to the table throughout. The process was smooth, collaborative, and well-communicated, and we always felt supported at every stage.

We’re absolutely delighted with our new website, which truly reflects who we are and the important work we do. It’s modern, accessible, and a real reflection of our brand and mission. It will allow us to better connect with our community, supporters, and the families we support.”
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