Gardeners Bowes Park Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement explains how Gardeners Bowes Park aims to make its online information and digital services easy to use for as many people as possible, including disabled visitors and local residents in the Gardeners Bowes Park area. We are committed to maintaining and improving accessibility over time.

Our accessibility commitment

We are working to ensure our website and online content are accessible and usable in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1, level AA. These guidelines are internationally recognised standards for making digital content more accessible to people with a wide range of access needs, including people who use assistive technologies, people with visual or hearing impairments and people with cognitive, motor or learning differences.

Our aim is that people visiting the Gardeners Bowes Park website should be able to find information about the area, local gardening activities and related services without facing unnecessary barriers.

Using the site with assistive technologies

The site is designed to be compatible with current versions of major browsers and a range of assistive technologies, including screen readers and screen magnifiers. We use clear headings, structured content and alternative text for important images where appropriate, so that screen reader users can understand the purpose of pages and move through content efficiently.

Text content is written in plain language where possible to support users who may have cognitive or learning disabilities. We avoid using images of text except where essential, and we aim to ensure that important information about Gardeners Bowes Park is always available in a text format that can be interpreted by assistive tools.

Keyboard navigation

The website is intended to be fully usable with a keyboard alone, without needing a mouse or trackpad. People should be able to move through navigation menus, forms and interactive elements using keys such as Tab, Shift plus Tab, Enter and the arrow keys. Focus indicators are used so that users can see which element on the page is currently selected.

We aim to ensure that no content requires complex gestures or timed responses that may be difficult for keyboard-only users or users with motor impairments. Where time limits are necessary, we aim to provide ways to extend or control them.

Visual design and readability

Pages are designed with sufficient colour contrast between text and background so that information remains legible for people with low vision or colour vision deficiencies. Content should remain readable when users increase text size or zoom the browser up to 200 percent without loss of functionality or content.

Layouts are responsive so that visitors can access information about Gardeners Bowes Park on different screen sizes and devices. Wherever possible, information is presented in a flexible way so users can adjust settings in their own browsers or assistive tools to suit their needs.

Ongoing work to improve accessibility

We recognise that accessibility is an ongoing process. We review pages regularly to identify and address any issues that might prevent users in the Gardeners Bowes Park area from accessing information about events, facilities and local gardening opportunities. As standards and technologies evolve, we will continue to improve how the site works for everyone.

If we identify parts of the site that do not fully meet WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines, we will work to fix these as soon as reasonably possible, prioritising content that is frequently used or essential for accessing services.

Feedback and accessibility requests

We welcome feedback from anyone who experiences barriers when using this website. If you find that a page is difficult to use, if information about Gardeners Bowes Park is not accessible with your assistive technology, or if you need information in a different format, you can contact us to request support.

You can get in touch by using the contact form on our website or by contacting us through the usual communication channels published there. Please include details of the page you were using, the nature of the problem and any assistive technology you rely on. This information helps us understand the issue and improve accessibility for all users.

We aim to respond to reasonable accessibility requests and feedback within a practical timeframe and to work with you to provide information in a format you can use wherever possible.