Saying goodbye to UK government

Posted 26th August 2020

Monday marked my last day working on the UK government’s digital services, after two and a half years. It has been an amazing experience, and I’ll really miss it, but it’s time for a new adventure (more on that soon!).

I always seem to start drafts of posts like this when I pass a significant milestone, and most never see the light of day as I try to do the event proper justice and the pressure piles on. So I’m going to keep this one short and sweet.

Over the last 2½ years, I’ve:

  • worked with some exceptionally talented people
  • made a couple of real friends
  • taken countless walks to the Amble Inn coffee shop for a latte and a chat
  • laughed a lot
  • learned a lot
  • helped turn a neglected and wouldn’t-touch-it-with-a-bargepole product into one to be really proud of
  • enjoyed teaching HTML, accessibility, CSS, and prototyping in code
  • shared the shock and sadness of losing a close colleague suddenly
  • worked in a centre that truly cares about its people, whether civil servants or contractors; a team is a team!

Thanks for having me!

Accessibility in your inbox

I send an accessibility-centric newsletter on the last day of every month, containing:

  • A roundup of the articles I’ve posted
  • A hot pick from my archives
  • Some interesting posts from around the web

I don’t collect any data on when, where or if people open the emails I send them. Your email will only be used to send you newsletters and will never be passed on. You can unsubscribe at any time.

More posts

Here are a couple more posts for you to enjoy. If that’s not enough, have a look at the full list.

  1. Avatars and alt text

    I really enjoyed Nicolas Steenhout’s recent article on Alt text for avatars or user photos. But there is a context where I would break his rule…

  2. Upgrading from iPhone 13 mini to 16 Pro

    I get a new phone every 3-ish years, give mine to my wife, and now she gives hers to our daughter. I got a 16 Pro this year! Here’s the skinny.