“We turned FfCC’s outdated site into a fast, phone-first one that helps teachers get visit details in minutes and lets donors give much more easily. ”
Farms for City Children (FfCC) is a charity founded in 1976 by children’s author Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare Morpurgo. It exists to enable children and young people from underserved communities to experience the adventure of living and learning together on farms in the heart of the countryside.
Their young farmers experience a week on one of the charity’s three farms immersed in nature; boosting their knowledge, wellbeing and connections with the natural world and one another. FfCC believes that every young person deserves to take home the wealth of benefits of being farmers for a week.
We had several discovery meetings with different members of FfCC’s team. We also offered some pro bono scoping to help shape the brief.
The new site had to be clean, mobile‑friendly and simple to update. It also had to show at once who FfCC is, what the charity does, who it helps and how it changes children’s lives. Teachers required visit details in minutes; donors wanted proof of impact; big funders looked for clear facts. Paths for booking, fundraising, applying for roles or volunteering, signing up for news or making contact had to be obvious. Trust was built with well‑placed stats, case studies, videos, testimonials and safeguarding information.
We rebuilt the site with staff in mind, so they could publish new pages or tweak layouts in minutes. Before we touched any code, the project manager mapped out the scope, timelines, and budget, then kept the client in sync with weekly check‑ins and progress notes. We also wrote build guidelines, so fresh content always looked consistent.
Behind the scenes, we upgraded to the latest WordPress core and replaced the slow theme. Mobile pages open faster and videos upload without crashing, and every main page focuses on a single task: get information, donate or see FfCC’s impact.
We cleaned up the site before launch. Old code was scrapped and page titles plus image tags were fixed. A clearer link structure and a tidy sitemap now point search engines (and visitors) to the right pages.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) was set up from scratch. We defined goals that match real outcomes, such as donations. Web data streams were added. Events were tagged with Google Tag Manager, and every click was tested for accuracy. Reports were shaped around what the team needs. GA4’s built‑in AI now spots trends, tracks user journeys without relying on cookies and keeps us within privacy rules.
To protect years of SEO work, every old URL was mapped to its new location. Search Console went live early in the build, and load‑speed checks ran at each stage. We fixed crawl errors, broken links, duplicate pages, orphan pages and canonical issues. Rankings were logged before launch and reviewed again once the site went live.
Each month we run the scheduled updates and latest patches, check that every backup is sound, and fix the small issues raised by email before they cause trouble.
Now that the site has been handed over, FfCC adds and styles any new campaign pages or graphics themselves, using the same modules to keep the brand tight. If staff hit a snag, we are on hand for continuous maintenance support.
Emma, our Marketing Account Manager and dedicated PM, keeps the to-do list in order and makes sure nothing slips. The result is a site that keeps earning its keep without draining FfCC’s time.
Pages load in seconds. Teachers find visit information quickly. Donors hit one button, give and see right away how their money will help.
Each enquiry drops into the fundraising inbox with the visitor’s details and purpose, making follow‑up personal and swift.
The site is secure, mobile-ready and easy to grow. Monthly checks and quarterly reviews keep everything fast and safe. Clear analytics prove impact to grant-makers and CSR partners, turning solid numbers into fresh funding.
Jo Wild, Communications & Marketing Manager, Farms for City Children
