Mike Dunnaway
Creator of Useful Things
Husband, dad, instructor, author, app developer
Mike (Michael) Dunnaway is an app developer and author from Cirencester, and the person behind Dunnaway Apps. He is also a DVSA-approved driving instructor and joint owner of Phoenix Driving, a family-run driving school.
Dunnaway Apps
“I make apps that I wished existed.”
Every one of these apps was made to solve a problem Mike ran into, not to make shareholders rich. He doesn’t have any.
Mike builds iPhone apps with AI and common sense. When he spots a problem, he comes up with an idea or solution, designs how it should work, then tests and refines each app himself before publishing it on Apple’s App Store.
His apps include:
PressieBirthday and gift-list app
Tidy StarsReward and chore chart for children
QuidometerUK mileage tracker for HMRC claims
CryptoHODLPrivate crypto portfolio tracker, with no account
Fork HandlesAllotment planner for UK growers
Big Dinner TimerChristmas dinner and roast timer
No adverts. No subscriptions.
Books and guides
Mike writes practical guides and books, including:
- How I Built 6 iPhone Apps with AI (And I Don’t Even Know How to Code), available as a PDF on Gumroad
- The Learner Driver Workbook 2026
- How Driving Examiners Mark Your Test
- Solve Your Cube – Beginner Guide
Free help pages on dunnawayapps.uk cover how the UK driving test is marked, what to practise before your test, and how to solve a Rubik’s Cube.
He is also the author of Department J, a sci-fi thriller published on Amazon in August 2020, and the 150 Facts trivia series.
Phoenix Driving
Mike has been a driving instructor since 2000 and joint owner of Phoenix Driving since September 2012. The school teaches manual driving lessons in Cirencester and the surrounding area: one-to-one tuition in dual-controlled cars, plus fleet driver development.
He is a DVSA-approved driving instructor (ADI) and is on the register of fleet driver trainers. As well as teaching learner drivers, he provides driver development training for people who already drive for work. He is a member of the Motor Schools Association of Great Britain.
Mike loves working as an instructor. Over the years he has done everything from teaching learner drivers to minibus assessments and instructor training and development.
Lessons, prices and booking: phoenixdriving.org
Media
- September 2026: Mike spoke to Nicky Price on BBC Radio Gloucestershire about Tidy Stars, the chore-chart app he built for his son. BBC programme page
- February 2011: The Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard featured Mike’s eco-driving tips, including how drivers could save up to £1,000 a year on fuel by changing how they drive. “Anticipation is the key to eco-driving,” he told the paper.
- December 2012: The same paper covered the 1985 Sinclair C5 Mike bought on eBay for £200 to do up. C5 given a new lease of life in Cirencester
- He has also been featured in Book Reader Magazine, discussing his books and the 150 Facts series.
Outside work
Family comes first and is Mike’s main passion. Away from teaching and app building, he is usually down the allotment growing veg, or tinkering with and driving his 1972 MG Midget or Sinclair C5.
He is a keen watch fan who buys and sells now and again, and enjoys magic, comedy and film, going out socialising with friends, and practising lock picking as a hobby. He also runs half marathons—very slowly, and sometimes for charity.
Where to find Mike
- Phoenix Driving: phoenixdriving.org
- Dunnaway Apps: dunnawayapps.uk
- Gumroad: dunnawaymike.gumroad.com
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phoenixdriving1
- Facebook: Phoenix Driving · Dunnaway Apps
Whether he is helping someone pass their driving test, building a better mileage tracker, writing a book, or creating a new app, Mike’s aim is the same:
Make something genuinely useful.