top of page

Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to www.bvmcircuit.org.

​

This website is owned by Blackwater Valley Methodist Circuit and is managed on our behalf by RGHandford (RGH).

​

Blackwater Valley Methodist Circuit is committed to being inclusive in all areas of our life, ministry and communications — including our website. We aim to make our online content accessible to everyone, regardless of age, disability or technology used, in line with our values as part of The Methodist Church’s call to inclusive practice and our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.

​

We recognise that accessible communication benefits everyone and that accessibility is not a one-off task but an ongoing commitment.

​

As part of our calling within the Methodist Church, we believe that every person is made in the image of God and should be able to participate fully in the life of the Church. We are committed to hospitality, inclusion and removing barriers wherever reasonably practicable. That commitment extends to our website and digital communications.

​

We are committed to making our website accessible, inclusive and user-friendly. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts

  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen

  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard

  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software

  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

​

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

​

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

​

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. You can see a list of known issues in the non-accessible section of this statement.

​

We recently carried out automated testing using the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool. This automated review identified a number of accessibility issues. The website received an indicative rating of 6.2 out of 10 based on that tool.

​

This rating reflects automated testing only. Automated tools do not detect all accessibility barriers and do not constitute a full accessibility audit or certification of compliance. We are using the results to prioritise improvements with our website provider.

​

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or another accessible format:

​

Email: info.bvmcircuit@gmail.com

​

We will consider your request and aim to respond within 5 working days where reasonably practicable.

​

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website.

​

If you find any problems not listed on this page or believe we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at:

​

Email: info.bvmcircuit@gmail.com

​

We will liaise with our website provider, RGHandford (RGH), where technical changes are required.

​

Enforcement procedure

Blackwater Valley Methodist Circuit is not a public sector body and is not subject to the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

​

However, we are committed to meeting our duties under the Equality Act 2010, which requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.

​

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may seek independent advice regarding your rights under the Equality Act 2010. Information about disability rights and enforcement can be obtained from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) or advisory services such as the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

​

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

We aim to align our website, where reasonably practicable, with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 Level AA.

​

We use WCAG 2.2 AA as a benchmark for improvement but do not currently claim full compliance.

​

Compliance status

This website is partially aligned with WCAG 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

​

Non-accessible content

The content listed below may not fully meet accessibility standards:

​

Non-compliance with accessibility standards

  • Some images may not yet have sufficiently descriptive alternative text.

  • Some pages may not have fully consistent heading structures.

  • Some colour contrast combinations may not meet WCAG 2.2 AA contrast requirements.

  • Some downloadable documents (including PDFs) may not be fully accessible to screen reader users.

 

PDFs and other documents

Some downloadable documents may not be fully accessible because they are not structured in a way that supports assistive technologies.

​

Where reasonably practicable, we will replace priority documents with accessible HTML content. If you require a document in an accessible format, please contact us and we will seek to provide a suitable alternative.

​

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are:

  • Reviewing core website pages for heading structure and alternative text

  • Improving colour contrast where automated testing has identified failures

  • Reviewing navigation to improve keyboard accessibility

  • Replacing or updating priority downloadable documents

  • Re-testing the website periodically to monitor progress

 

Accessibility improvements are carried out as part of ongoing website updates and within available resources, in partnership with RGHandford (RGH).

​

Preparation of this accessibility statement​

This statement was prepared on 14 January 2026.

​

The website was last reviewed using automated testing tools and internal checks. Automated testing does not detect all accessibility issues.

 

This statement will be reviewed annually or sooner if significant changes are made.

bottom of page