Two strands, one career

Care on one side, code on the other, and they meet at Fiducia. Open "Where are they now?" on any role to see who runs that business today.

• Paid care work
• Family carer
• Study
• Web and software

1. 2003 – 2007Care

   Healthcare Assistant

   Sycamore Rise · Lancashire

   Where I started in care.

   Where are they now? Taken over

   1. Sycamore Rise LtdBurnley area · 1982 – 2006
   2. Careforce Group plcbought it · Jun 2006
   3. Mears Group plcbought Careforce · Apr 2007

   The Sycamore Rise company was dissolved in 2014. Mears sold its home care business to Cera Care in 2020; the records don't say whether the old Sycamore Rise service was still part of it.

2. May 2007 – Feb 2010Care

   Specialist Dementia Support Worker

   Orchard Care Homes · Haslingden · residential care

   Specialist dementia support in a residential home.

   Where are they now? Taken over

   1. Orchard Care Homes2007 – 2026
   2. Orchard Healthcare Grouprenamed · Apr 2026
   3. Voyage Careacquired the group · 2026

   The home itself, Haslingden Hall and the Lodge, is still open. It is now run by Amicura (amicura.co.uk), rated Good by CQC.

3. 2009 – 2013Study

   BSc (Hons) Interactive Digital Media

   University of Lancashire · Preston · then UCLan

   Course Rep 2010–2011. Studied alongside agency care shifts.

   Where are they now? Open · renamed

   1. University of Central LancashireUCLan · when I studied
   2. University of Lancashirenew name · 2025
4. 2010 – Dec 2021Care

   Healthcare Assistant (agency)

   Carestaff Solutions Limited · North West · indirect contract

   Eleven years across SEND education, secure mental health units, community SEND support for adults, and palliative care. Eleven years of seeing which forms, systems and handovers work on a shift, and which don't.

   Where are they now? Trading

   1. Carestaff SolutionsPreston · still independent
5. 2010 – Dec 2021Code

   Self-employed Web Designer & Developer

   Self-employed · Preston and Leyland

   Started freelancing at university in 2010 and grew the business through a business incubation unit after graduating, alongside agency care shifts. Traded as Millar Designs (2010), 35ml Media (2013), The Kick Ass Donkey Group (2015, a limited company 2016–2019) and Leyland Web Design and SEO. Clients included UCLan, Preston College, Blackburn College, Ashton Allied Taxis, The ELCM, PANDA and Nordic Walking UK.

   • Ran a youth development programme with Blackburn and Preston colleges for student work experience.
   • Set up a skills trade: IT skills taught in exchange for sales, marketing and even a haircut.
   • Built a programme for retirees to learn technical skills and network with business.

   Where are they now? Became We Dev Digital

   1. Millar Designs2010
   2. 35ml Media2013
   3. The Kick Ass Donkey Group Ltd2015 · company 2016 – 2019
   4. Leyland Web Design and SEOfreelance
   5. We Dev Digital Ltd2023

   One business under four names. The limited company was closed by voluntary strike-off in 2019.

6. Dec 2021 – Jan 2022Code

   Solutions Architect

   Halewood Artisanal Spirits · Chorley · on-site

   Looked after web across the company's brands, including a bespoke theme for Whitley Neill Gin. Built a custom WordPress theme, plugin and framework, ran a server migration with no data loss, and worked on SEO with marketing. Streamlining saved the company over £250,000 a year.

   Where are they now? Trading

   1. Halewood Artisanal SpiritsRushden · still independent

   Still owns Whitley Neill gin and Dead Man's Fingers rum.

7. Jan 2022 – Aug 2023Code

   Solutions Architect

   JD Sports Fashion plc · Greater Manchester · remote

   Expansion team. Led new features, fixed bugs and raised code quality, bridging UX and software teams with an accessibility background. Lead architect of the Footpatrol blog system, later rolled out across the company.

   Where are they now? Trading

   1. JD Sports Fashion plcjdplc.com
   2. FootpatrolJD-owned since 2008
8. Aug 2023 – Jul 2026Code

   Managing Director

   We Dev Digital Ltd · Lancashire · remote

   Ran a small web studio after JD. Clients included VideoGamer.com, for whom I built an AI-integrated Starfield name generator, and Lancaster University. Hand-built, tested and accessible by default.

   Where are they now? Closed

   1. We Dev Digital Ltdregistered Sep 2023 · closed Sep 2026
   2. Fiducia Togetherwhere the work went

   I started building a month before the company was registered, and closed it to build Fiducia Together full-time. Clients VideoGamer.com and Lancaster University are both still going.

9. Jul 2026 – nowCare + code

   Co-Director and Head of Operations

   Fiducia Together · Leyland · remote

   Both strands in one job: care technology for supported living, SEND and people who use AAC, built with the people who use it.

   • Architecture and hands-on development across Talk, Life, Guardian, Staff, Together and Knowledge.
   • Shipped Fiducia Talk, a free AAC app, to the App Store in September 2026. Android in progress.
   • NHS integration, in progress.
   • Data protection and accessibility standards across every app.
   • Monthly public build updates, and direct testing with families, support workers, speech and language therapists and teachers.

   Where are they now? Trading

   1. Fiducia Together Ltdregistered 31 Aug 2026 · company 17428906

   We started building in July 2026 and registered the company a month later.