Skip to main content
Cartoon image of Andy stood by his desk with an accessibility screen, a flowchart on the wall, and a tropical beach out the window.

About Me

Working-class frontend developer from Newcastle. Building practical, accessible websites, while finally starting the work I should have done years ago.

I’m Andy. Frontend dev, builder, dad, football coach and finally cracking on with the work I should’ve started long ago. Took me a while to get moving, but better late than never.

My Work

I’ve been coding since I was a teenager, back in the late 90s. But like most things, life got in the way. I raised three kids, worked a load of different jobs, and only properly switched into tech full-time later on.

Now I’m the frontend dev at Northumberland County Council. I sort out the stuff that actually matters to users, forms that break, layouts that fail at high zoom, designs that confuse people. My job is to fix things before someone gets stuck.

When I was 22, I built a VBA tool at a bank that took a 20-minute admin task and cut it down to 30 seconds. That little tool ended up saving over £3 million a year. It showed me early on that if you fix something properly, you fix it once.

My Tools

These are things I’ve built in 2025 because I needed them to make my job easier:

  • EmilyCSS

    A simple CSS toolkit for building accessible public sector sites. Works with plain HTML, Drupal, Astro, no unnecessary frameworks or junk.

  • CSS Audit Tool

    Scans projects for unused or duplicate CSS, respects load order, and produces a cleaner, lighter file. Makes it easier to reduce bloat and debug issues fast.

  • Content Clarity Checker

    An offline tool that checks reading age, flags jargon and helps keep content readable for real people. Built for local government teams who don’t need more logins or subscriptions.

These aren’t fancy side projects. They solve real problems I’ve hit in my work and they actually get used.

Outside of work

I’m a dad to three, which means I’m used to fixing things while juggling a dozen others. I also coach grassroots football here in Newcastle, sort kit, organise games and shout encouragement from the sidelines most weekends.

When I get the chance, I travel solo. Usually budget trips, backpack, no big plans. This year alone I’ve been to Lagos, Marrakesh, New York, Lugano, Lake Como, Milan and Ibiza, and it’s only June. The solo trips clear my head and keep me sharp.

Parenting, football, travel, all of it feeds into how I work. Clear thinking, good timing, always a plan B.

Last updated on