Dear all
I’m delighted to share some staff updates with you from the Wikimedia UK
team.
Firstly, please let me welcome Ilona Reynolds, who has joined us in the
role of Finance and Operations Administrator. Ilona will be working part
time, three days a week, with at least one day per week in our British
Library office. Ilona brings significant experience of working in the
charity sector and a wide skill set, and I’m sure she is going to be a
great asset to the organisation.
Secondly, two members of the Senior Management Team have been promoted into
new roles:
My long standing - and outstanding - colleague Daria Cybulska is now
Director of Programmes and Deputy Chief Executive.
Our brilliant Head of Finance and Operations, Sharon Mitcheson, is now
Director of Finance and Operations.
I hope you will join me in welcoming Ilona to the movement and
congratulating Daria and Sharon on these well deserved promotions.
All best
Lucy
--
Lucy Crompton-Reid
Chief Executive
07803 505 169
*My pronouns are she/her and my name is pronounced like this
<https://namedrop.io/lucycromptonreid>*
Brilliant news
Sent from my iPhone hence any typos,
> On 30 Jan 2026, at 18:53, wikimediauk-l-request(a)lists.wikimedia.org wrote:
>
> Send Wikimediauk-l mailing list submissions to
> wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/wikimediauk-l.lists.wikimedia.o…
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> wikimediauk-l-owner(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Wikimediauk-l digest..."
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Wikimedia UK staff update (Daria Cybulska)
> 2. Re: Wikimedia UK staff update (Josie Fraser)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:42:00 +0000
> From: Daria Cybulska <daria.cybulska(a)wikimedia.org.uk>
> Subject: [Wikimediauk-l] Re: Wikimedia UK staff update
> To: UK Wikimedia mailing list <wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
> Cc: Ilona Reynolds <ilona.reynolds(a)wikimedia.org.uk>, Ian Watt
> <ianwatt(a)gmail.com>
> Message-ID:
> <CAK6Artzbw-tqGLvtFFLm_WsabhHxpVDZ-aX0jf7h=sq_uCwfRw(a)mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
> boundary="0000000000001e82f506499e80b5"
>
> Congratulations to the colleagues! - and from me just to add that I'm
> delighted with this, having contributed to the charity and the movement
> overall for the past 14 years, and looking forward to helping WMUK navigate
> the ever changing landscape within which we are operating.
>
> Daria
>
>> On Fri, 30 Jan 2026 at 13:46, Ian Watt via Wikimediauk-l <
>> wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Welcome, Ilona, and congratulations to Daria and Sharon! This is great
>> news!
>>
>> Best wishes
>>
>> Ian Watt
>>
>> On Fri, 30 Jan 2026, 12:45 Lucy Crompton-Reid via Wikimediauk-l, <
>> wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear all
>>>
>>> I’m delighted to share some staff updates with you from the Wikimedia UK
>>> team.
>>>
>>> Firstly, please let me welcome Ilona Reynolds, who has joined us in the
>>> role of Finance and Operations Administrator. Ilona will be working part
>>> time, three days a week, with at least one day per week in our British
>>> Library office. Ilona brings significant experience of working in the
>>> charity sector and a wide skill set, and I’m sure she is going to be a
>>> great asset to the organisation.
>>>
>>> Secondly, two members of the Senior Management Team have been promoted
>>> into new roles:
>>>
>>> My long standing - and outstanding - colleague Daria Cybulska is now
>>> Director of Programmes and Deputy Chief Executive.
>>>
>>> Our brilliant Head of Finance and Operations, Sharon Mitcheson, is now
>>> Director of Finance and Operations.
>>>
>>> I hope you will join me in welcoming Ilona to the movement and
>>> congratulating Daria and Sharon on these well deserved promotions.
>>>
>>> All best
>>>
>>> Lucy
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Lucy Crompton-Reid
>>> Chief Executive
>>> 07803 505 169
>>>
>>> *My pronouns are she/her and my name is pronounced like this
>>> <https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com?d=namedrop.io&u=aHR0cHM6Ly9uYW1lZHJ…>*
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Wikimedia UK mailing list
>>> wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org
>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediauk-l
>>> <https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com?d=wikimedia.org&u=aHR0cHM6Ly9saXN0c…>
>>> WMUK: https://wikimedia.org.uk
>>> <https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com?d=wikimedia.org.uk&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93aW…>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Wikimedia UK mailing list
>> wikimediauk-l(a)wikimedia.org
>>
>> https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com?d=wikimedia.org&u=aHR0cHM6Ly9saXN0c…
>> WMUK:
>> https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com?d=wikimedia.org.uk&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93aW…
>
>
>
> --
> Daria Cybulska - Director of Programmes and Evaluation, Wikimedia UK
> +44 (0) 2033 720 764
> +44 7803 505 170
> --
> Wikimedia UK is the national chapter for the global Wikimedia open
> knowledge movement. We rely on donations from individuals to support our
> work to make knowledge open for all. Have you considered supporting
> Wikimedia? https://donate.wikimedia.org.uk
>
> Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and
> Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513 (England and
> Wales), SC048644 (Scotland). Registered Office Ground Floor, Europoint, 5 -
> 11 Lavington Street, London SE1 0NZ.
>
> Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The
> Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate
> Wikipedia, amongst other projects). *Wikimedia UK is an independent
> non-profit charity with no legal control over Wikipedia nor responsibility
> for its contents.*
>
Dear colleagues and friends,
*With apologies for any cross-posting.*
We hope you are doing well! As part of the ongoing effort to rethink and
rebrand the Wiki for Human Rights campaign, we are inviting organizers,
past participants, affiliates, and community groups from the previous
editions to take part in a community-wide vote to help choose the
campaign’s new name.
Over the past months, the Wikimedia movement has been hosting a consultative
process to gather input about the future structure and identity of the Wiki
for Human Rights campaign, including regional conversations, surveys, and
discussions across communities. This renaming is part of a broader
participatory effort to ensure the campaign reflects the diverse priorities
and voices of the movement globally.
Now we are at a key moment — your vote matters! You have time to vote till
February 9.
Please take a few minutes to select your preferred name for the campaign
using the voting form here:
👉 Voting form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBodE5l4mB8LJcvc1i490P42bGkAs-vuU…
Why your input is important
✔️ The new name will shape the identity of the campaign going forward.
✔️ The process is open and inclusive — we want to make sure that organizers
from different regions and linguistic communities are represented in this
decision.
✔️ This is part of the movement’s effort to align the campaign’s branding
and strategic focus with the experiences and aspirations of its
participants.
If you have any questions about the renaming process, or would like to
follow the background discussions, please see the documentation on Meta:
🔗
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiForHumanRights_Renaming_and_Coordination
Thank you very much for your time and your invaluable contributions to
making open knowledge work for human rights around the world. We look
forward to seeing your vote!
Warm regards,
Lucy
--
*Dr Lucy Hinnie (she/her) | (loo-see hih-nee | *hear name
<https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=awstrack.me&u=aHR0cHM6Ly85Z2hkMT…>
)
*Topics for Impact Coordinator*
*Please note, my working days are Monday, Thursday and Friday.*
*You can book an appointment with me here
<https://calendar.app.google/t2oFWx9T9kSoJoAV6>.*
<https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/campaign/a056900001wWOtNAAW>*Wikimedia UK*
<https://wikimedia.org.uk/> is the national chapter for the global
Wikimedia open knowledge movement.
Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/wikimediauk>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaUK>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/496119>, and Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/wikimediauk/>.
Wikimedia UK is a registered charity in England and Wales No.1144513.
and Scotland
No. SC048644. Company Limited by Guarantee, Registration No. 6741827.
Registered Office C/O Wikimedia UK, Level 4, Room 46018, 96 Euston Road,
London, NW1 2DB
Hi there folks,
Hope this email finds you well!
As part of our year-round training offfer, and because Wikidata is one of
the most often-requested skills, I wanted to let you all know that we've
got x2 *Introduction to Wikidata* training sessions coming up in February.
*Why & how to add data to Wikidata*
Monday 9th February, 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
More information and register on-wiki here:
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Event:WMUK_Training_-_Why_and_how_to_add_data…
*Make your first query on Wikidata using SPARQL*
Monday 16th February 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
More information and register on-wiki here:
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Event:WMUK_Training/Make_your_first_Query_on_…
Both these events will be held on Zoom, and are aimed at those who are just
starting (or indeed who would like to refresh) their Wikidata journey. Our
trainer is *Dr Martin Poulter*, and there'll be time in both sessions to
practice your own edits and queries respectively.
Hope to see you there!
All the best,
Sara
--
Dr Sara Thomas
Programme Manager, Wikimedia UK
07803 505 172
*My pronouns are she/her, and my name is pronounced like this.
<https://namedrop.io/sarathomas> *
https://wikimedia.org.uk/home/scotland/
<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Wikimedia_in_Scotland>
*I work part time, my usual days are Monday - Thursday.*
<https://donate.wikimedia.org.uk/>
*Wikimedia UK* <https://wikimedia.org.uk/> is the national chapter for the
global Wikimedia open knowledge movement.
Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/wikimediauk>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaUK>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/496119>, and Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/wikimediauk/>.
Wikimedia UK is a Registered Charity No.1144513 (England & Wales) SC048644
(Scotland). Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and
Scotland, Registered No. 6741827.
Registered Office c/o British Library, Room 46018, 96 Euston Road, London,
NW1 2DB
Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The
Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate
Wikipedia, amongst other projects).
*Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control
over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*
Hi folks,
The Wikimania Team has announced that the call for submissions is now open
for this year's conference, being held in Paris 21-25 July! The call is
open until *March 1st*. You can opt to deliver in-person, online (dialling
in), hybrid, or recorded.
This from their email:
*Dear Wikimedians,*
*The Wikimania Team
<https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=wikimedia.org&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93aWtp…>
is
happy to announce that the Program Call is officially open.*
*We invite community members, affiliates, volunteers, and partners to
submit proposals and help shape a program that reflects the diversity,
creativity and collaboration of our movement. *
*Submission timeline*
-
*The submission form will remain open until March 1.*
-
*Results will be published in May.*
*We kindly remind you that this year’s program is guided by the
theme Liberté, Égalité, Fiabilité
<https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=wikimedia.org&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93aWtp…>
(Freedom,
Equity, Reliability), and we invite submissions that reflect it.*
*Learn more*
-
*Read more on Diff here
<https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=wikimedia.org&u=aHR0cHM6Ly9kaWZm…>*
-
*Read more about the theme and formats on the Wikimania wiki
<https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=wikimedia.org&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93aWtp…>*
-
*Submit your proposal here
<https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=eventyay.com&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93aWtpb…>*
*Orientation sessions will be hosted in early February by the team, stay
tuned for more details.*
*We’re looking forward to reading your submissions and creating this year’s
Wikimania with the community.*
*Warm regards,*
*Afek, Communications LeadOn behalf of The Wikimania Team*
All the best,
Sara
--
Dr Sara Thomas
Programme Manager, Wikimedia UK
07803 505 172
*My pronouns are she/her, and my name is pronounced like this.
<https://namedrop.io/sarathomas> *
https://wikimedia.org.uk/home/scotland/
<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Wikimedia_in_Scotland>
*I work part time, my usual days are Monday - Thursday.*
<https://donate.wikimedia.org.uk/>
*Wikimedia UK* <https://wikimedia.org.uk/> is the national chapter for the
global Wikimedia open knowledge movement.
Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/wikimediauk>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaUK>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/496119>, and Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/wikimediauk/>.
Wikimedia UK is a Registered Charity No.1144513 (England & Wales) SC048644
(Scotland). Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and
Scotland, Registered No. 6741827.
Registered Office c/o British Library, Room 46018, 96 Euston Road, London,
NW1 2DB
Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia movement. The
Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who operate
Wikipedia, amongst other projects).
*Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit charity with no legal control
over Wikipedia nor responsibility for its contents.*
Are you a skilled photographer? Do you have a way with words? Are you
passionate about data?
Just like everything else Wiki, the “Wiki Loves” competitions every year
couldn’t happen without the hard work and contributions of a flurry of
volunteers who help us promote and judge the competitions and maximise the
use of the subsequent images throughout the different Wiki projects.
2026 is no different and we’d love your help! We have three competitions
this year…
Wiki Loves Folklore
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Folklore_2026>
- February
and March 2026
Wiki Loves Earth <https://wikilovesearth.org/> - May and June 2026
Wiki Loves Monuments <https://www.wikilovesmonuments.org.uk/> - September
2026
To help us with managing these competitions we’re looking for the following
volunteers for any or all of the above competitions.
Comms & Community support
<https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/14yLZVtln2Tw6m5GGK2-w3ZNxCsF2UAKnR15…>
- We need volunteers who can help us make sure we’re shouting about the
“Wiki Loves” competitions in the right places, making it easy for people to
take part and celebrating the efforts of those who do.
Competition judge
<https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1hCzIkd-FBnNOTlAKU-sX-qvad-yEZsjzBav…>
- Our judges help determine which are the best entries that have been
submitted to a particular competition and which we should submit to any
international panel. The role might suit people with photography experience
themselves or who understand the importance of high quality images to Wiki
projects
Data volunteer
<https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/14uY0e65JUbaUZURW5xFK6xoCESGZ9KhpL-W…>
- And of course, we want these images to be useful and helpful in the wider
Wikiverse which is where data volunteers come in. If you’re knowledgeable
about Wikidata, we’d love your help!
Follow the links above for more information or for a no obligation chat
email volunteering(a)wikimedia.org.uk
--
Rupal Karia (she/her)
Outreach and Community Coordinator
*My pronouns are she/her and my name is pronounced like this
<https://namedrop.io/rupalkaria>*
Working hours - Mondays 9am-3pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays 9-6pm
[image: https://wikimedia.org.uk/donate/] <https://wikimedia.org.uk/donate/>
Wikimedia UK <https://wikimedia.org.uk/> is the national chapter for the
global Wikimedia open knowledge movement.
Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/wikimediauk>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaUK>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/496119>, and Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/wikimediauk/>.
Wikimedia UK is a registered charity in England and Wales No.1144513
and Scotland
No. SC048644. Company Limited by Guarantee, Registration No. 6741827.
Registered Office C/O Wikimedia UK, Level 4, Room 46018, 96 Euston Road,
London, NW1 2DB
Give Wikipedia a Gift for their 25th Birthday!
On 15 January Wikipedia turns 25 - a remarkable milestone for a free online
encyclopedia written and maintained by its community of volunteers, that
has helped billions of people learn something new, settle a debate, or
tumble down a late-night rabbit hole of curiosity.
From its humble beginnings 25 years ago, it's now available in over 300
languages, it’s the largest and most-read reference work in history, it
powers AI and continues to keep knowledge free and accessible to all.
To mark the occasion, we’re inviting you to give Wikipedia a birthday
present — a gift that will help Wikipedia to continue to grow into a
reliable resource of knowledge which is accessible and free to all of
humanity.
Pledge your birthday gift to Wikipedia
Tell us what you would like to give Wikipedia for its special milestone, by
completing this Google Form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd5u56XyaioufIeixswQ9tIlr-ijDdz-dh…>
.
Here are some suggestions from us;
-
Content Gaps on Wikipedia
-
Writing a biography / new article or improving an existing article
(let us know if you would like ideas on content gaps on Wikipedia)
-
Getting an article(s) to Good Article status
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Good_article_criteria> or on
the main page featured on Did You Know
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Did_you_know>
-
De-orphaning articles
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Orphan#Suggestions_for_how_to_de-or…>
- Incoming wikilinks are central to boosting visibility of subjects
in the knowledge network. For example Women’s biographies have a
higher rate of being orphaned
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_bias_on_Wikipedia#Article_visibility>
which makes them less visible.
-
Adding images to Wikipedia articles
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Pages_Wanting_Photos/Participate>
also
improves the discoverability of an article. Here is a list of pages
where photos are needed
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_requested_images>.
If you want to focus on a specific category you can use these
instructions to run a PetScan
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Pages_Wanting_Photos/Resources>
.
-
Would you like to see more information on a particular subject which
is currently underrepresented on Wikipedia? Build a worklist and find
reliable sources that other editors / WMUK trainers can use at future
events.
-
Welcoming and Supporting New Editors
-
Join the Teahouse
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Teahouse/Host_start> and
support new Wikipedia editors
-
Join the Birthday Committee
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Birthday_Committee> and wish
Wikipedia editors a happy birthday.
-
If you have led a Wikipedia training session recently, say hello to
the people who attended and check in with them to see if they need any
support.
-
Take some time once a week / month to thank someone and recognise
their contribution on their user page or use this simple feature
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Notifications/Thanks> on the
history page of an article.
-
Maybe you’ve been impressed by someone’s contribution or used
someone’s image in an article, send them a note to let them know their
efforts are appreciated.
-
Support Minoritised Languages
-
Translating Articles
-
English to other language of your choice
-
Articles needing translation from a language of your choice to
English
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Pages_needing_translation_into_Engl…>
-
Use the content translation tool
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Content_translation_tool> as
a starting point for your translation(s)
-
Organise an edit-a-thon
-
If you have been working with a group of editors, you could organise
a special birthday edit-a-thon!
-
Organise an Wikipedia event for a group / community that you would
like to work with. Or maybe you would like to organise a themed
edit-a-thon
to celebrate Wikipedia’s birthday?
-
If you’re not an editor yet, why not become an editor? You can create a
new account here
<https://auth.wikimedia.org/enwiki/wiki/Special:CreateAccount?useformat=desk…>.
And here is a tutorial on the basics of Wikipedia editing - The
Wikipedia Adventure.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:The_Wikipedia_Adventure>
-
Apply to run a Community sandbox session
<https://wikimedia.org.uk/2025/04/community-sandbox-sessions/> - email
sara.thomas(a)wikimedia.org.uk if you have an idea.
-
Enrich Wikipedia articles with images and make them more discoverable.
-
Add images of Women, people of colour, LGBTQ people and subjects to
relevant articles.
-
Here is a list of articles needing images
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_requested_images>.
-
Use previous Wiki Loves Earth and Wiki Loves Monuments images to add
to articles.
-
Talk to people about why you edit Wikipedia and what it brings to your
life!
-
Organise a talk with a group who might be interested in finding out
more about editing on Wikipedia or may be open to sharing their knowledge
on Wikipedia.
-
Apply to share your Wikimedia knowledge and experience at Wikimania 2026
in Paris from 21-25 July. The theme for this year’s Wikimania is Freedom,
Equity, Reliability (Liberté, Équité, Fi abilité)
https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2026:Program
-
Create a shareable resource to highlight a particular area / subject /
country / culture using Wikipedia as a guide.
-
This could be a geographical map taking people through Wikipedia
pages in a particular location
-
Or it could be related to a subject for example 19th Century Art, or
Black Female Singers in the UK
-
This list is by no means exhaustive! Let us know if you have any other
ideas!
Wikimedia UK Will Support You to Give Your Gift
Once you’ve chosen your gift and let us know through this Google Form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd5u56XyaioufIeixswQ9tIlr-ijDdz-dh…>,
we’ll send you a tailored set of resources to help you make it happen.
A Thank-You from Us
If you complete the task you’ve set yourself, you’ll receive:
-
A set of Wiki Loves Earth 2026 winners’ postcards, and
-
A celebration of your contribution at our 2026 Community Celebration
event in November.
Deadline
The initial deadline for submitting your gift pledge is *Monday** 16*th
February.
If you have any questions please contact rupal.karia(a)wikimedia.org.uk
Read more about Wikimedia UK's campaign Gift Knowledge, Your Way
<https://wikimedia.org.uk/gift-knowledge-your-way/> and find out other ways
you can be involved.
Best wishes,
--
Rupal Karia (she/her)
Outreach and Community Coordinator
*My pronouns are she/her and my name is pronounced like this
<https://namedrop.io/rupalkaria>*
Working hours - Mondays 9am-3pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays 9-6pm
[image: https://wikimedia.org.uk/donate/] <https://wikimedia.org.uk/donate/>
Wikimedia UK <https://wikimedia.org.uk/> is the national chapter for the
global Wikimedia open knowledge movement.
Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/wikimediauk>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaUK>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/496119>, and Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/wikimediauk/>.
Wikimedia UK is a registered charity in England and Wales No.1144513
and Scotland
No. SC048644. Company Limited by Guarantee, Registration No. 6741827.
Registered Office C/O Wikimedia UK, Level 4, Room 46018, 96 Euston Road,
London, NW1 2DB
Hello everyone,
I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year. In the last few weeks, we’ve
had a few enquiries of various sorts. If you are interested in any of the
stuff below, reply to me directly and we can discuss the next steps.
Speaking opportunity
-
Organisation: SCI London Group
<https://www.soci.org/interest-groups/london> and University College
London Chemical & Physical Society <https://cpsucl.com/about/>
-
Venue: Christopher Ingold Building, UCL (close to Euston station in
London)
-
Date: TBC, expecting a Tuesday evening in late 2026
The SCI London Group and UCL Chemical & Physical Society run a joint
lecture series and as part of their programme would like to arrange for
someone to talk about Wikidata and its application to science and
scientists and its use by scientists. Talks are usually about 50 minutes
long, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. Dates have not yet been fixed, but the
talks usually fall on a Tuesday evening.
The audience is a mixture of SCI members and their guests, UCL students and
staff, and members of the public.
The organiser will cover travel expenses.
Looking for a trainer for an event in March
- Organisation: Cambridgeshire Libraries
<https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/libraries-leisure-culture/libra…>
- Venue: TBC, in Cambridge
- Date: 14 March 2026
Cambridgeshire Libraries want to have an editathon for Women's History
Month. The aim would be to get people using library resources to create new
articles or edit existing articles about women with a connection to
Cambridge. There is some flexibility with the date, but Saturday 14 March
works best for Cambridgeshire Collection. I haven't confirmed the location
yet, but Cambridge Central Library
<https://info.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/kb5/cambridgeshire/directory/service.pag…>
seems likely.
Challenging editing
We have had a couple of queries from subjects of Biographies of Living
People, and one from a company looking for a Wikipedia page. There is no
expectation that this will be picked up, but these are people who are
trying to abide by Wikipedia’s policies and are looking for some
assistance. I expect it would involve some Wikipedia editing. As some of
these are BLPs, I’m keeping names private out of caution. Of course if
someone wants to pick up one of these I’ll be able to share a bit more
detail.
Checking a biography for tone
A researcher has got in touch as their Wikipedia biography has a COI banner
on it. They came to us after someone speculatively emailed them offering to
‘fix’ the page for a fee.
What’s needed is a read through to check for tone. It’s perhaps half an
hour’s work. As it stands, the page doesn’t strike me as too egregious.
There are a couple of instances where the text could be reworded to be more
neutral.
When handling the query I made it clear that Wikipedia content needs to be
neutral and is decided by its editors, but I did offer to put it out to the
volunteer community in case someone is able to step in. As they identified
the predatory practice, it would be nice if the community was able to
resolve it and make things harder for such ‘businesses’.
Helping a BLP subject
An author with a Wikipedia page has got in touch asking for help preparing
a draft. I advised them to work in a sandbox and to use the edit request
wizard. They are happy to do so, but would appreciate an experienced
Wikipedian to check their work and provide pointers. They’re not asking for
edits to be made on their behalf, but to help them get their own edits
right.
Preparing an article on a sculpture foundry
Someone from a sculpture foundry has been in touch to ask for guidance on
creating a Wikipedia page. They said “I am not looking for a commercial
“Wikipedia writing service”; instead, I’d like to speak with an experienced
volunteer or trainer who could advise on how best to approach creating a
neutral, well-sourced article, in line with Wikipedia’s policies.”
From a quick check of Google News, the company name crops up in a few news
stories though I haven’t checked to see if it’s more than a passing
mention. The first task is probably working out if they are notable.
Things on the horizon
We have a few ongoing conversations with various universities. Lecturers at
the University of Sussex, Warwick University, and Liverpool John Moores
University are interested in getting students to edit Wikipedia. The
conversations are at various stages (LJMU is unlikely to take place before
2027 as university approval would be needed to change assessments) but
there should be some opportunities for trainers coming up.
The University of Sussex one is likely to be the soonest, possibly in the
spring.
And finally
If anyone is interested in music, there’s a notice on WikiProject Scotland
from a new editor who is trying to create a couple of biographies on
historical figures.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Scotland#Missing_B…
--
Dr Richard Nevell (he/him)
Programme Manager
My name is pronounced like this
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Nevell_-_pronunciation_-_20…>
[image: https://wikimedia.org.uk/donate/]
<https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=wikimedia.org.uk&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93a…>
Wikimedia UK is the national chapter for the global Wikimedia open
knowledge movement.
Wikimedia UK is a Registered Charity No.1144513.Company Limited by
Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827.
Registered Office: Wikimedia UK, ℅The British Library, Level 4, Room 46018, 96
Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB
Hello all,
Happy New Year! We’re currently recruiting for a new *Executive &
Governance Assistant* at Wikimedia UK, and we’d be very grateful if you
could share this opportunity with anyone in your networks who might be
interested.
This is a *part-time (2 days per week), permanent role*, ideal for someone
who has substantial experience supporting senior executives - who is highly
organised, discreet, and confident managing complex schedules and
governance processes.
Key details:
- *Salary:* £34,000-£38,000 FTE (pro rata, depending on experience)
- *Location:* Remote
- *Contract:* Part-time (2 days/week), permanent
- *Focus areas:* working closely with trustees, senior staff, and
external partners; managing WMUK's membership programme, and providing
comprehensive executive support to the CEO
- *Application deadline:* 5:30pm, Monday 19th January
- *Interviews:* w/c 26th January
We particularly welcome applicants who are enthusiastic about open
knowledge, culture, and the Wikimedia movement, and we strongly encourage
applications from people from underrepresented backgrounds.
If you know anyone who might be a good fit, please do pass this on. The
full job description and application details are available via our website
<https://wikimedia.org.uk/wiki/Job_openings>.
Many thanks,
Sharon
--
Sharon Mitcheson (she/her)
Head of Finance & Operations
[image: https://wikimedia.org.uk/donate/]
<https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=wikimedia.org.uk&u=aHR0cHM6Ly93a…>
*Wikimedia UK* <https://wikimedia.org.uk/> is the national chapter for the
global Wikimedia open knowledge movement.
Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/wikimediauk>, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaUK>, LinkedIn
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/496119>, and Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/wikimediauk/>.
Wikimedia UK is a registered charity in England, Wales No.1144513. and Scotland
No. SC048644. Company Limited by Guarantee, Registration No. 6741827.