Skip to main content

Accessibility Statement

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. Here's what works, what doesn't yet, and how to get in touch if something gets in your way.

This accessibility statement applies to the website at whatsonhebdenbridge.com.

It does not apply to content on other organisations' websites that we link to, or to the widget, kiosk and screens versions of this service where they appear inside someone else's website.

This website is run by Hebden Royd Town Council, Hebden Bridge Community Association and Mike Stephens. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard, and see clearly which item you are on
  • skip past the header and navigation straight to the main content of every page
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • use the website on a screen as narrow as 320 pixels without scrolling sideways
  • increase the spacing between lines, letters and words without any text being cut off
  • read all of the text at a contrast level that meets the AA standard
  • use every button and link at a size large enough to tap accurately
  • let your browser fill in the sign in and registration forms for you

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

We have not yet tested this website with screen reading software or with speech recognition software, so we cannot tell you how well it works with them. We do test the underlying markup those tools rely on — headings, labels, landmarks, and the names and roles of buttons and links — but that is not the same as testing with the software itself. Doing that is the next stage of our work.

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

How accessible this website is

We know that some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • images added by event organisers may not always have a suitable description
  • some PDF documents, most of them uploaded by organisers and venues rather than by us, may not be fully accessible to screen reading software
  • some embedded audio or video from other websites may not have transcripts, captions or audio descriptions

Everything else we had found in our own pages has been fixed. In September 2026 we audited 36 pages and states against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard and worked through what it found: text being cut off when spacing is increased, controls too small to tap accurately, missing form labels, missing autofill information, a focus outline too faint to see on some screens, a heading level skipped on event pages, and a filter panel that did not say whether it was open. Our automated tests now check all of those before we release any change.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, email info@whatsonhebdenbridge.com.

We'll consider your request and get back to you within 10 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page, or you think we're not meeting the accessibility requirements, email info@whatsonhebdenbridge.com.

It helps us if you tell us which page you were on and what went wrong. Our contact details are also on our about page.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations').

If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

Hebden Royd Town Council, Hebden Bridge Community Association and Mike Stephens are committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, because of the non-compliances listed below.

The pages we build meet the standard on every check we are able to automate. The exceptions are content that other people add to those pages, and manual testing we have not yet carried out.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Images added by event organisers do not always have a suitable description. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).

Some documents are in less accessible formats, for example PDF. Non-HTML documents published on or after 23 September 2018 must have an accessible format. Many of these documents are uploaded by event organisers, festivals and venues rather than by us.

Both of these concern material supplied by the people who list their events with us. We describe what we are doing about them under "What we're doing to improve accessibility" below, rather than giving a fix date for content that is not ours to change. Where a document is essential to using a service, we will provide the information in an accessible format on request.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that any fix would be a disproportionate burden.

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Links to other websites. For the benefit of our users we link to other websites, including social media platforms, event organisers' and venues' own websites, and ticketing pages. We are not responsible for the accessibility of websites we do not manage.

Third party content on our website. We use maps, tools that tell us how the website is being used, and applications for creating forms and storing data. Where we choose to include third party content, we are responsible for making sure it meets accessibility standards. Where we are required to include it, we cannot reasonably accept responsibility for it — but where it is within our control, we will make every reasonable effort to work towards meeting the accessibility requirements.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

The problems we had found in our own pages have been fixed. What remains is the work that automated testing cannot do for us. In priority order:

  1. Testing with screen reading software, and then with disabled people. Until we have done this we do not claim the website works well with those tools, only that the markup they depend on is correct.
  2. Prompting event organisers for image descriptions when they add an event, and giving them guidance on writing accessible listings.
  3. Working with organisers and venues on the documents they upload, and providing an accessible alternative on request in the meantime.

Our automated tests will not let a new page or feature reach the website carrying a kind of accessibility problem we have already fixed, so this list should only get shorter.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 1 October 2024. It was last reviewed on 21 September 2026.

This website was last tested on 21 September 2026 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by us, in house.

We used the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) approach to decide which pages to test. We tested a sample of 36 pages and states, chosen to cover every distinct page template and every step of a multi-step form, including:

  • the homepage
  • the events listing, and its filtered, empty, paginated, map and custom date range states
  • event, festival, venue, area and category pages
  • content pages, the help page and the "report an event" form
  • sign in, register, request a password reset, and an expired reset link
  • the account dashboard, profile, change password, and the my events, my venues and my festivals lists
  • all six steps of the add an event form, and the add a venue and add a festival forms

Testing is automated and runs against every one of those pages before we release a change. It covers the checks that can be made reliably without a person: contrast, reflow at 320 pixels, zoom, text spacing, keyboard order and focus visibility, keyboard traps, heading structure, landmarks, form labels, target sizes, and the names and roles of controls. As of 21 September 2026 it reports no failures on any page of the website.

We review this statement at least once a year, and whenever we re-test the website.