Experienced (20+ years) PHP/Wordpress Developer based in Cornwall open to remote projects. In addition to WordPress I have skills in MySQL/MariaDB, clean valid HTML, CSS, Javascript and Git.
I have experience of doing all aspects of web development from Systems Architect through to Database design, to code maintenance. I am conscious of considerations of scale and performance. Many of the projects I work on can’t stretch to a Business or Systems Analyst, or a graphic designer and so I often wear those hats too. I have a good understanding of process, and the importance of building systems which fulfil the users’ needs. I like to build prototypes and involve the client early on in testing. If required I can also build a complete cloud stack for sites hosted on their own virtual machines (VMs).
I am a friendly and approachable person with a good sense of humour, I get along well with others and am happy to work either in a team or solo as and when required. In the past I have also done work using Laravel, C# .Net, Zend Framework, Oracle, MS SQL Server and Javascript. I’m also always up for learning new platforms and skills.
Recent work
I have built custom WordPress sites for various businesses, either from design visuals or I can include basic design as part of the process. This includes both back-end and front-end, everything from cloud server configuration, databases and coding, right through to CSS and responsive front end design. I use both commercially available themes and plugins as well as writing my own if needed. I have also built sites using Craft CMS during my time working for the Nixon agency.
Here are some examples of sites I’ve worked on…
I also maintain, monitor and update sites for clients where they have been built by other developers, either on a retainer or hourly basis.
In 2025 I was lead developer on a new php application, working title Creation to Station, to enable radio stations to receive and review community created content for inclusion in their playlists. The application is web based, utilising common storage systems such as Dropbox and Google Drive, to enable the widest impact possible.
Past work
I worked on a Userfrosting (PHP) project for the recruitment industry, utilising an API. Userfrosting (framework derived from Laravel) is a user and role management centred framework, ideal for building things like user portals. I also built and configured VMs in the cloud ready for these sites.
Education Sector
I spent many years working for a Higher Education institute, and was Co-Architect and Lead Developer on building their main course information system, which remains one of their core infrastructure systems to the present day. Built in PHP using the Zend Framework and MySQL, it was architected to be both flexible in terms of structure and return fast query results. This was achieved with a combination of a normalised database structure and and CRON generated web service. You can read more about this project here http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/criate/
I also worked on a variety of research projects using frameworks such as .NET and Laravel, as well as other bespoke online learning and teaching platforms.
Public Sector
Previously I worked for local government and the NHS on many different sites and platforms. I gained experience here of Project Management and Business Analysis, working with designers and marketers, as well as a broad base of skills including PHP, ASP.NET, HTML and CSS. This also gave me a great grounding in Accessibility and semantic HTML.
Links
My full CV can be viewed at linkedin.com/in/helenconnole
My GitHub profile can be viewed at github.com/helenc77