Alongside The Code Guy, I run The Code Zone — after-school coding clubs that teach kids aged 6–14 to code. We were running 11 clubs across Cambridge, Essex and Suffolk, and it was going brilliantly. Then Covid happened.
Our physical clubs had to shut overnight. And I wasn't about to just sit around and wait for a pandemic to end.
Taking It Online
I'd always wanted to build an online version of what we do in the clubs. The in-person sessions work because they're fun — kids solve challenges, build things, and learn to code almost by accident. The question was whether we could capture that same energy on a screen.
So that's what we built. The Code Zone Online is an interactive coding platform with bespoke challenges and virtual tools, all designed to make kids actually want to learn. Not just watch a tutorial. Not just follow instructions. Properly engage with coding in a way that captures their imagination.
Innovate UK Said Yes
We applied to the Innovate UK Fast Start Competition to help fund the development. Over 8,600 companies applied. 800 got funded. We were one of them.
The bit that made me properly chuffed was that we scored particularly highly on the ideas section. That felt like real validation — people who assess tech innovation for a living looked at what we were building and said "yes, this is worth backing."
£40 million across all the funded projects. Ours went straight into building the platform, and we launched in October 2020.
Why It Matters To Me
I'm passionate about opening up coding to young people. Not in a worthy, eat-your-vegetables way — in a genuine "this is fun and you can build cool stuff" way. That's what we do in the physical clubs, and that's what The Code Zone Online delivers too.
It's one of the things I'm most proud of building.
