Wayne
A great month of catching up, at work and at home.Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!
Summer has well and truly arrived and I’m loving the great weather we’re having! The blue skies and sunshine make it so easy to get out of bed early in the morning, into the gym before work, and feeling energised throughout the day.
This month we successfully launched a new website and custom web application for Reto Finance, and we’re really happy with the end result! Reto Finance, based in Jersey, offer personal and business loans to their clients. The website features a custom-built loan calculator, and considers several steps in a funnel to take a customer through to the application process, wherever they are on their personal journey to securing finance. We’re looking forward to kicking off Reto’s marketing campaigns in July to further support their business growth.
Feeling Organised
Overall, things are feeling really good at Twilo. The team is working well together to achieve good results for our clients. In June, for the first time in years, I managed to get to the end of a to-do list without creating a new one, which was a nice achievement. With the support of Tim I’ve been working on individual progression plans to strengthen the support Twilo offers to staff, which has resulted in productive Learning Hours and further development.
I’ve also got the ball rolling with our search for our next office, with plans to move into Leeds city centre. This is an exciting move as it opens up more opportunities for the team to socialise after work, as well as having great lunch time options for the foodies amongst us.
Food Indulgence
Speaking of which, I’ve certainly indulged this month – those early morning gym sessions have put me in credit for the calories I’ve consumed in June.
One weekend we fancied a barbecue and took to Instagram to search for just that. We discovered a really quirky place in Oldham called The Old School BBQ Bus, a Texas-themed restaurant with a great menu and weekend events – if you’ve watched Yellowstone you’ll love it here! They imported a big yellow school bus from Arizona and have converted it into a kitchen with smokers and griddles to cook low and slow BBQ food – this place is a must try if you like your meat!
Sunny Hunny
The last week of the month myself, Lianne and Fred took ourself to Norfolk for a week of camping. We stayed at a resort called Searles in Hunstanton, referred to by the locals as ’Sunny Hunny’, and explored the surrounding areas including the vast beach at Wells, the stunning villages such as Snettisham and Sandringham, and some amazing pubs and restaurants. We quickly fell in love with Norfolk because of their passion for local produce and the patriotism the local communities embrace. So much so, we ended up buying a holiday home on the day we were leaving!
We can now look forward to lots of weekends away in the hottest part of the country, with regular trips to the beach and plenty of really good food options to try.
Andrew
Building new platforms at work and cooking new meals at home.Security Around E-Commerce
June has been an exciting month for developing websites! We have had the opportunity to build our own e-commerce platform and explore security best practices. After building the cart and the checkout functionality, it was satisfying to get it working and to make it run smoothly. This will be fantastic for us moving forward as we have full control and it allows us to achieve the best user experience for online shopping.
As part of developing an e-commerce platform, I have been doing a lot of reading in online security. In particular, I’ve studied best practices with PHP and using the PHP session to mitigate the risk of an attacker stealing a session. This was very interesting but also very important to make sure that our new e-commerce websites are robust and as secure as possible.
Cooking Just Got Easier
At home, I had a new slow cooker dropped off which we have now started using. This has made life so much easier with meals being ready to go at the end of the day with little effort. We also took advantage of the hot sun to have some BBQs with family and have a catch up.
We have also spent some time exploring different ways that we can keep the stone area of the garden clear from weeds growing in the cracks. Something we have never used before is a weed burner which is just a small flame on a stick. We have ordered ourselves one of those and I am excited to try it out. A little bit of fire can make weeding that bit more interesting.
Vadym
Faster websites, new WordPress projects & a Roman Shield for Cubs Camp.What I’ve Been Working On
June has been a busy month packed with exciting projects, technical problem-solving, and even a fun DIY task at home. I love when my work combines improving websites with creating things outside of tech — here’s a quick round-up of everything going on.
Speeding Up Websites with Custom Product Feeds and Doofinder
One project I’m particularly proud of this month was helping an e-commerce site run faster and smoother.
The site had complicated products with lots of variations, which made generating accurate product feeds a challenge. I created a custom PHP script that prepares these feeds properly — and that alone made a big difference.
But we didn’t stop there. I also integrated Doofinder, a smart search tool that helps users find exactly what they’re looking for, quickly and easily.
The results?
- Faster website load times
- Better product search experience
- Happier users
It’s always satisfying when backend improvements lead to a noticeably better experience for customers.
Coming Up: New Multi-Domain WorkPress Project
I’m also really excited to start a new project in July — building a multi-domain website on WordPress.
This kind of setup is ideal for businesses or organisations managing multiple brands or regional websites under one system, while still keeping them tailored to their specific audiences.
What I’ll be focusing on:
- Easy management of several domains
- Shared system with room for customisation
- SEO best practices for each site
- Secure, scalable WordPress architecture
It’s always rewarding to work on projects that are both technically interesting and provide real business value.
Something a Bit Different… Helping My Stepson Make a Roman Shield for Cubs Camp
Outside of work, I’ve got a special project at home with my stepson — we’re making a Roman shield for his Cubs Camp.
I love working with tech, but I also enjoy getting stuck into creative projects away from the screen. This one’s all about cardboard, paint, and maybe a bit of a mess — but I know he’ll be proud showing it off at camp.
It’s a fun way to mix a bit of history with some hands-on crafting, and I’m looking forward to building it together.
Wrapping Things Up
June has been full of problem-solving, new challenges, and getting ready for exciting things ahead — both in work and family life.
I’ll share more updates as the WordPress project gets underway, and I’m sure I’ll have a photo or two of the Roman shield once it’s ready for camp!
Matt
Attending the best place on Earth.Website Improvements
This month has been another great month at Twilo. This month we’ve achieved so much and made a lot of progress with clients, to great success.
One of the highlights has been assisting in helping rebuild a clients gallery page and adding a filter to help customers see the specific work that they offer. It looks brilliant and has improved the site.
I have also been assisting another agency with tracking work for their clients’ ads and analytics, it’s great to collaborate and share my expertise with someone else in our industry.
The Best Festival On Earth!
This month after many years of trying to get tickets I finally attended Glastonbury! It was absolutely outstanding, and I had the best time.
I fully now understand why people say it’s the best place on earth! I saw so many wonderful artists and everyone was brilliant, I couldn’t pick a favourite out of them all.
Seeing so many surprise acts and special guests was always such a nice treat and just added to the weekend experience.
What makes Glastonbury so special is definitely the people, everyone is so kind and approachable and look after each other. It’s a nice bubble to be in and you just forget about the outside world.
I will be going back! See you in 2027, Glasto.
Reece
A productive month and the perfect escape.Work:
June’s been a really productive month and a satisfying one overall. The new Twilo website is really starting to take shape. It’s been great watching all the design and structure come together, from planning out the layouts to building everything cleanly using our Grilla framework. There’s been a real focus on usability and detail, and as it all clicks into place.
Alongside that, I’ve been focusing on an e-commerce plugin we’re developing for WordPress. We’re building it for a specific client project, but designing it with flexibility in mind. The functionality is tailored for quick integration and consistent styling, and it’s been fun working out how to make it both powerful and easy to implement. It’s one of those projects that adds real depth to what we can offer clients going forward.
Personal:
I spent a weekend in Bakewell this month, and it turned out to be the perfect escape. The weather held up, so I managed to get some long walks in around the Peaks, good scenic routes with a good mix of hills, views, and quiet spots. The landscape around Bakewell is stunning, and being out in it really helped me switch off for a bit.
The town itself has a really nice charm to it, with a mix of independent shops and traditional spots to eat. Naturally, I had to try a Bakewell tart while I was there, and yes, the traditional version from the source absolutely hits different. Fresh, not overly sweet, and genuinely worth the trip. I did try the iced version too, and while it’s alright, it’s definitely not in the same league.
I also stopped by Thornbridge Brewery, which was a good highlight. Tried a few of their beers, but Green Mountain stood out by miles, Really smooth and full of flavour. Between the food, the walks, and a few well-earned pints, it made for a top weekend away. Would happily go back.
Liam Kearns
A new chapter begins.
Settling In To Twilo
It’s been an exciting month of change for me as I’ve officially started my new role here at Twilo. After spending the last 7 years working at a creative agency in Liverpool, specialising in branding and web design, it was time to take the next step and focus on developing my web skills even further.
Everyone at Twilo has been incredibly welcoming, including all the clients I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in my first month, and I’m already starting to feel really settled. It’s been a busy first month (just the way I like it) hitting the ground running with several projects under my belt already. A few exciting highlights include designing a new e-commerce section for one of Twilo’s existing websites, designing a new portfolio website for one of Twilo’s longest standing clients and working on a brand repository site for a global Japanese restaurant chain, all 3 will be launching soon so keep your eyes peeled.
Pints To Avoid The Rain
Outside of work, we celebrated my wife’s 32nd birthday with a weekend escape to the Forest of Bowland, where we hiked through some stunning scenery, got lost in a field with a bull and got caught in a torrential downpour. Thankfully we had a room booked at the The Coach and Horses where we managed to dry off over a few pints of Hawkstone Lager – it all works out in the end!
All in all its been a really exciting month full of change, new challenges and plenty to learn. Im looking forward to seeing where this new chapter takes me and can’t wait to keep developing my skills with the team here at Twilo.
