The Nello James Foundation honours the legacy of the Nello James Centre in Manchester — a community institution shaped by Black activists and local residents to confront inequality and create opportunity through education, childcare, legal advice, housing, arts and youth work. JW Digital designed and built the Foundation's website as a community contribution, organising decades of history into a clear, navigable site visitors can explore and engage with.
The Nello James Foundation honours the legacy of the Nello James Centre — a Manchester institution that grew from the West Indian United Association's community-led response to inequality from 1967 onwards, into a place of education, childcare, legal advice, housing, arts and youth development.
The Foundation needed a website that could communicate decades of community history clearly — covering history and legacy, the Free University and Supplementary School, the Niel Pearson Nursery, legal and welfare support, arts and youth work, and the Walton Housing Association — in a way visitors could navigate and engage with.
JW Digital designed and built the website as a pro bono contribution to the Manchester community. The Foundation's mission, history and impact are theirs; JW Digital's role was to build a clear, accessible site through which their legacy can be shared, preserved and supported.
A legacy spanning more than five decades and several distinct areas — activism, education, childcare, legal aid, housing, arts and youth — needed to be organised into a website that visitors could understand at a glance and explore in depth without feeling overwhelmed.
The site also had to feel respectful and rooted in the community it represents, rather than templated, while still being fast, fully responsive and accessible to a broad audience.
We structured the site around clear areas of legacy and impact — History & Legacy, Education & Learning, Nursery, Legal & Welfare, Arts/Sports & Youth, Housing — each given its own space so visitors can explore the parts of the story most meaningful to them.
A timeline highlights the key moments from 1967 onwards, a gallery preserves visual memory, and a Donate / Get Involved path lets visitors support the Foundation directly. The build is fast, fully responsive and accessibility-conscious so the site reaches the widest possible audience.
Worked with the Foundation to understand the legacy, the audiences and the areas of impact that needed their own space on the site.
Designed a respectful, community-rooted layout that organises decades of history into clearly navigable areas without overwhelming the visitor.
Built a fast, accessibility-conscious, fully responsive site with a timeline, gallery and donate / get involved paths.
Delivered the website as a pro bono contribution to the Manchester community.
A pro bono website that organises the Foundation's legacy — history, education, nursery, legal and welfare, arts and youth, housing — into a clear, accessible site, with a timeline, gallery and donate / get involved paths.
No — JW Digital contributed the website pro bono as a community project. The Foundation's work, history and impact are entirely its own.
Visit the live site — there are Donate and Get Involved sections, and the Foundation can be contacted directly through the website.
Like this project?
We design and build bespoke websites and web applications for businesses that need more than a generic template. If you want a modern, high-performing digital presence, we can help.