Shaun Conner
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sconner.net
Shaun Conner
@sconner.net
2.8K followers 220 following 1.3K posts
Head of Accessibility, GOVUK One Login @ GDS.
Previously: Monzo, HMRC, and the NHS.
Views my own.
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sconner.net
If these weren’t bad enough, I found this one. This is real, by the way.
APOLOGY STATEMENT We would like to address some matters brought to our attention. It appears that our efforts to give every child the best start in life have had some unexpected consequences. Our Best Start Free Breakfast Clubs have served over 2.6 million meals, creating unforeseen levels of concentration in our classrooms and have left parents facing alarming amounts of unexpected free time at the start of the day. 30 hours of government-funded childcare have saved parents £7500 per child per year, triggering an outrageous increase in household savings and putting a shocking new focus on the importance of school readiness. With our drive to tackle school absence getting 140,000 children back in class and thousands more teachers recruited into our schools, our classrooms have become bustling hubs of learning, teeming with ambitious young people set to achieve and thrive with the help of this government. We put this down to our Plan for Change, which it seems has raised the bar alarmingly high. It turns out that when you have a mission to break down the barriers to opportunity, you end up making working people's lives better. We completely understand the urge to find out more - go to the Education Hub or beststartinlife.gov.uk. Department for Education Social Media Team
November 19, 2025 at 6:04 PM
sconner.net
Every year I do Movember. I’m continuing my to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. I’ve also set a goal to run 100 miles for the month. I just hit 25 miles this morning, and I’m already regretting my decision 😆

I’d really appreciate anyone who can support my fundraiser: movember.com/m/Conner?mc=60
Me standing in my hallway smiling for a selfie. I have a clean shaven face and head, but have left a moustache for Movember.
November 8, 2025 at 7:58 AM
sconner.net
Tree one is up! One more to go!
A large, beautifully decorated, twelve foot Christmas tree in a bay window of my living room.
November 7, 2025 at 6:14 PM
sconner.net
I was closing the blinds and saw a clear sky, so I popped outside to grab a photo of this stunning "quarter moon". There's another supermoon on 4th November, so I'm hoping for clear conditions.
A black sky with a stunning "first-quarter" detailed moon in high resolution
October 29, 2025 at 5:36 PM
sconner.net
I've just sat for ages in the garden, camera on its tripod, patiently waiting for a break in the clouds to catch the first supermoon of the year. It didn't disappoint!
A crystal clear picture of a full supermoon.
October 7, 2025 at 7:36 PM
sconner.net
Today I am 2 years sober! When I first stopped drinking, I thought it was going to be an impossible task. I couldn’t imagine my life without drink. 2 years later, I’m happier and healthier. Everything is just “better”. I’m so proud of myself.
A two years sober badge from the I am sober app.
July 16, 2025 at 10:01 AM
sconner.net
Celebrating my new title of “late thirties” with a nice brunch. For 15 quid, you absolutely can’t go wrong!
Steak and two eggs with a pesto and tomato sauce dressing with a side of hash browns and sourdough toast.
July 11, 2025 at 12:11 PM
sconner.net
The stair stepper reminds me of when I was running ten milers multiple times a week. Hate every second, but trust me when I say, all your problems are solved by the time it’s done. Anxiety? Gone. Smashed a personal best this morning. Once you’re past 30 mins it’s mind over matter.
A screenshot from Apple fitness showing a one hour fifteen stair stepper workout. Active calories 1057. Total calories 1230. Average cadence 57RPM. Average heart rate 171 BPM. Effort all out.
June 21, 2025 at 9:03 AM
sconner.net
Does anyone happen to know what either of these two plants are that have suddenly showed up in my garden this year? The pink flower is so beautiful and bright. I thought the second one was chives until they grew massive and flowered what looks like grass out of their tops.
Two bright pink rose looking flowers with a leafy bush in my garden. A plant that looks like massive chives but it has flowered what looks like bushy bits of grass.
June 3, 2025 at 3:15 PM
sconner.net
It’ll be a year this Sunday since I suddenly lost my dad. I can’t wrap my head around the fact it’s been a year already. Grief has returned with a vengeance over weekend, it’s all so raw again. This is the last picture ever taken of him and it’s also my favourite picture of him.
My dad, a mid fifties bald man with a Tshirt on and with his glasses resting on his forehead sitting at a restaurant table with his hand on his chin, looking deep in thought.
June 2, 2025 at 3:24 PM
sconner.net
We got to see these two tigers, who are now sixteen years old. That's really old for a tiger, apparently. It was lunchtime, so they were both looking for their food.

#animalphotography #photography
A tiger stood over a piece of meat, looking into the distance through some dense green trees. A male tiger looks menacing as it walks into the sunlight with its mouth slightly open
May 25, 2025 at 11:15 AM
sconner.net
We took the kids to Flamingo Land on Friday. I shot this beautiful photo of one of the Flamingos. They are such stunning birds.

#photography #birdphotography
A Flamingo is standing on one leg, grooming itself. The photo has been edited to darken the background so the flamingo stands out more.
May 25, 2025 at 10:46 AM
sconner.net
Mistakes have been made. Nice day, no sun cream and a backwards cap. When will I learn? Never. Never is when I’ll learn. 😂🤷‍♂️
A selfie of Shaun looking troubled with a sunburned face and a clear line where his cap has been and a D shape on his forehead because the cap was worn backwards.
May 23, 2025 at 8:27 PM
sconner.net
Ended up sitting near the sticker box while I was in the office yesterday, so took loads to decorate my new laptop. The question is, do I sticker over the Apple logo? Doesn’t feel right, but it’s going to mess up the hive structure. Someone help me solve this first-world problem.
A navy blue MacBook on a blue desk with a keyboard in the background. The MacBook has nine bee and hive-themed stickers celebrating various milestones on the govuk One login programme.
May 16, 2025 at 2:53 PM
sconner.net
Had a great time at the Google Accessibility Discovery Centre in London. A super informative and inspiring learning experience. Totally recommend it if you’re ever in London!
Shaun and eight of his colleagues smiling for a photo in front of an accessible ADC art piece at the Google accessibility discovery centre in London.
May 15, 2025 at 4:51 PM
sconner.net
I’ve burned through two decks of cards learning to thumb fan the deck. Pretty happy with how much I’ve improved. Initially it was clumps of cards.

I’ve also been learning various one handed cuts and flourishes. It’s really hard, but the dexterity in my hands is improving quick.
A deck of cards fanned out in my hand with a small amount of the pip of most cards showing.
April 19, 2025 at 12:21 PM
sconner.net
How is anyone meant to use this website? Imagine being a journalist and being proud of an article, only for it to be completely inaccessible to anyone. Throw it all in the bin and start again. Garbage.
A screenshot of The Mirror website. Almost all of the screen is covered by adverts and popups. There is an auto playing video on top of a notifications popup on top of a sticky header. It's completely inaccessible .
March 4, 2025 at 12:19 PM
sconner.net
My kids always ask for Kinder eggs, but the toys end up in the bin almost immediately because the quality is shite. My inlaws just dug these out, which have survived thirty years and have been passed on to the next generation. Bring back the old Kinder surprise!
Three Kinder surprise "Crazy Crocs" from the 90s on a table. The first one poses as if it is shy in a purple dress. The second has a pink neck scarf holding a guitar, and the third has trainers and a t-shirt, posing with a medal.
January 18, 2025 at 9:41 AM
sconner.net
Eighteen months sober. I am immensely proud of myself for getting this far. A whole year and a half. It felt impossible at the start. Tried and failed many times. Best thing I ever did. Everything in my life is just “better”. One day at a time!
A screenshot from the I am sober app showing an 18 months sober badge.
January 16, 2025 at 8:49 AM
sconner.net
I recently learned that a local park has loads of these Parakeets. Apparently, they're all over the UK now. You can hear them before you see them. They are very cool-looking birds. Almost don't look like they belong in a freezing cold country!

#photography #BirdPhotography
A closeup of a green parakeet sitting on a branch looking sideways. It has a red beak, a red ring of fur around its neck, and a red ring around its eyes.
January 11, 2025 at 4:45 PM
sconner.net
Since getting my camera, I've struggled to take pictures of small birds. They are just too quick for me. I went out this morning, determined to get one. This plump Robin perched up quite close to me, and I finally got my pic.

#photography #BirdPhotography
A plump Robin sitting on a branch in a tree.
January 11, 2025 at 4:40 PM
sconner.net
It's cold and rainy in Newcastle, so I couldn't take the camera out for my lunch walk today. I decided to take one of my eye instead. It was hard to get one in focus, but I am more than happy with the result after a lot of messing about.

#photography
A very detailed close-up of a dark and pale blue iris. The image was edited to remove the white of the eye so only the iris and pupil can be seen.
January 6, 2025 at 2:58 PM
sconner.net
While I was snapping away taking sunrise pics, my wife shouted over to look behind me. This old girl had been sat the whole time, waiting for me to throw her ball. Not before I took this cool picture, though.

#Photography #GoldenHour #Sunrise
During sunrise, a black, white, and tan border collie lies on all fours, waiting patiently for the ball a few yards ahead to be thrown at South Shields Sandhaven beach. The sea is calm, and the dog's ball is in a small puddle.
December 29, 2024 at 12:17 PM
sconner.net
Back down to the beach this morning for another sunrise. This time, I took the good camera.

#Photography #Sunrise #GoldenHour
A vibrant but warm sunrise with pink, purple and yellow clouds and a calm sea at Sandhaven Beach in South Shields. The silhouettes of a person walking their dog and the cliff tops are visible. Someone is riding a black and white horse during sunrise at Sandhaven Beach in South Shields. The sky is orange and yellow, and the sea is calm. A vibrant but warm sunrise with blue, purple and orange clouds. The camera is level with the sand, and small wooden sand dune stumps are in focus. The sun rises through the canon on top of South Shields Sandhaven beach cliffs, creating a silhouette of the canon. The sky is a deep orang,e and the cliffs are black shadows.
December 29, 2024 at 12:10 PM
sconner.net
Couldn't snap pictures of my mams dog without getting some of my old girl, Daisy. She's 10 and still behaves like a puppy herself.

#photography #AnimalPhotography
A border terrier Shih Tzu cross, which looks more like a border terrier, is running in the grass. She has a big 'smile' on her face. A young girl is in the background, walking behind the dog.
December 24, 2024 at 5:00 PM