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pretendcato.bsky.social
Pretend Cato
@pretendcato.bsky.social
Democracy things as COO/Director at Delib. She/her. Not all work. Rhymes with potato.

We make Citizen Space, Dialogue and Simulator helping govt orgs and over 11 million people come together to make change: https://www.delib.net/citizen_space/who_uses_it
MY EYES

(a mere £600 for this chimney with toes)
November 15, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Oh hey! It’s another entry for Shoes I Never Wish to Wear:

Think of the stuff that’ll stick to these. And you might get other dogs trying to sniff your heels
November 15, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Silly Goose Inc.
Silly Goose Inc.
sillygoosebag.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by Pretend Cato
UKGovCamp Birmingham: Join Us!

UKGovCamp is happening on 17 Jan 2026. If you work in gov and haven’t attended, now’s the time!

Leaders in policy, operations, and diversity, please share with your teams, connect with colleagues, and help spread the word! Contact us to get involved.
October 12, 2025 at 4:30 PM
This whole thread. I can think of a person who’d love each one of these cursed items
9. “Such Small Hands: The Child John Parrott” (Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1537)
September 28, 2025 at 9:51 AM
This is great, lovely in fact - 30 minutes with a stranger

pudding.cool/2025/06/hell...
30 minutes with a stranger
Watch hundreds of strangers talk for 30 minutes, and track how their moods change
pudding.cool
September 4, 2025 at 11:08 AM
In today’s edition of Shoes I Never Wish to Wear:

Featuring the unholy trinity of mule, kitten heel and boot for £365
September 2, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Reposted by Pretend Cato
We @hellostu.xyz @mikerose.co.uk @adrianhoward.com @ox1digital.co.uk @pretendcato.bsky.social @jamiearnold.com @himal.bsky.social and Martin (not of this parish) have been meeting about monthly for Geeky Coffee in Dorchester. I'm thinking of Dorset Geeky Coffee does Edinburgh or SDinGov Geeky Coffee
September 1, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Great to see @martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com talking about our platform Citizen Space being used to ask people’s views on managing council tax. MHCLG have done a great job of building a thorough and considered consultation that you can take part in: consult.communities.gov.uk/local-govern...
Modernising and improving the administration of council tax - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - Citizen Space
Find and participate in consultations run by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
consult.communities.gov.uk
June 26, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Reposted by Pretend Cato
We've added Demystifying AI and Empowering Workers (Online) to the civic tech calendar (ift.tt/Qcz06Y4). Full info here:
Demystifying AI and Empowering Workers - UC Berkeley Labor Center
Join us for a three-part webinar series that will cut through the AI hype to help better understand digital technologies in the workplace and how to respond through collective bargaining and public policy.
ift.tt
June 12, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Pretend Cato
We must fight for the future we want to live in, continue to study and experience the ways in which pro-democracy tech can and does work in practice, and resist the current antidemocratic Big Tech "mask off" moment. #TICTeC #PITech @civictechguide.bsky.social @mysociety.org
June 11, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Pretend Cato
A big thank you to everyone at the @mysociety.org team for a fabulous and thought provoking few days of #tictec that were beautifully organised.
June 11, 2025 at 4:06 PM
On a completely different note, I need people to know that this exists as a thing you can buy and own
June 12, 2025 at 9:50 AM
I’m loving this post from the teams in MHCLG and i.AI about Extract and the process behind developing it to transform historical planning documents into structured data. Harnessing skills across departments 💪🏻 (HT @visitmy.website)
mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/12/e...
Extract: Using AI to unlock historic planning data
This week, the Prime Minister officially launched Extract, the AI tool which the Digital Planning programme in MHCLG and the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence are developing to transform decades o...
mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk
June 12, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Today at #TicTec, @jessiea.bsky.social and I are giving some examples of where people’s involvement in consultation and engagement has made a direct impact. It’s fair to say we’re feeling nervous 😬
June 11, 2025 at 6:51 AM
A great first day at #TicTec: securing our future, the role of civic tech in combatting big tech, AI (of course) but genuinely practical applications and initiatives, a great workshop facilitated by @gavinfreeguard.bsky.social on what we need to make change
And lots of excellent corridor chat 
June 11, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Kermit having a rough day
May 17, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has donated and shared. Over £4400 raised for Anthony Nolan (@anthonynolan.bsky.social) and it keeps going up.
Lifesavers, the lot of ya x
April 29, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I did the London marathon! No Guinness World Record (unless ‘most sweaty person dressed as a cell’ is one) but I finished and it was an amazing day.

There’s still time to donate. For example, you might consider £1 for every litre of sweat I lost (e.g £5)
www.justgiving.com/page/cato-fo...
April 29, 2025 at 5:34 AM
It’s time to run London Marathon as a stem cell. My outfit has been verified, the sun is up, crowds are building and I’m a very excited and nervous cell

It’s all to raise awareness for Anthony Nolan charity and you can donate here: www.justgiving.com/page/cato-fo...
Running the 2025 London Marathon dressed as a stem cell for Anthony Nolan
Help Louise Cato raise money to support Anthony Nolan
www.justgiving.com
April 27, 2025 at 7:20 AM
I was on local BBC radio today talking about running London Marathon as a stem cell for @anthonynolan.bsky.social and attempting a Guinness World Record in the process @guinnessworldrecords.com

Here from 41 minutes in: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

And donate at: www.justgiving.com/page/cato-fo...
Simon Parkin - Good Friday (18/04/2025) - BBC Sounds
Simon takes your calls plus the best gossip from the county.
www.bbc.co.uk
April 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Pretend Cato
🧵We learned today that a record 4.5 million children faced poverty this year, but we also learned that policy change can make a difference.

changingrealities.org/writings/cut...

New analysis with @cpaguk.bsky.social for @nuffieldfoundation.org
The latest Household Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics show that poverty continues to affect millions of children in the UK, with 4.5 million affected by poverty during 2023-2024, an increase of 100,00 on the year before. These figures should shame us all, and must be examined alongside the UK Government’s proposals to take £4.8 billion in social security support from some of the most vulnerable, and indeed poorest, among us. The Government’s own Impact Assessment suggests that 50,000 more children will be pulled into relative poverty as a direct result of these changes. But another way is possible. For the past five years, almost 200 parents and carers living on a low-income from all four nations of the UK have been working alongside researchers at the University of York and Child Poverty Action Group to document everyday life in poverty and to push for change. The project started life as Covid Realities in the pandemic and became Changing Realities in a cost-of-living crisis that has never gone away. In our work together, we have contributed real-time evidence to policymakers, challenged harmful media narratives, and developed co-produced recommendations for change.
changingrealities.org
March 27, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Pretend Cato
NOT NOW CATO
A Ninja frying pan is arguably a more obvious weapon than an air fryer though.
March 19, 2025 at 7:17 PM
A huge huge huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far. We’ve broken the £3000 mark for @anthonynolan.bsky.social

Me and the stem cell outfit will aim to do you proud in the run this weekend, at Yeovil Half, and - of course - London marathon on April 27th

www.justgiving.com/page/cato-fo...
Running the 2025 London Marathon dressed as a stem cell for Anthony Nolan
Help Louise Cato raise money to support Anthony Nolan
www.justgiving.com
March 13, 2025 at 7:43 PM