It was a pleasure working with you Richard. Thank you for all your hard
work with Wikimedia UK over the years. Best wishes in your new job, and
looking forward to seeing you around as a volunteer in future Wikimedia
events.
Katie
On 03/08/2016 15:32, Richard Symonds wrote:
Hello everyone!
I've worked for Wikimedia UK since just before we hired our first Chief
Executive, but it's time for me to hang up my "staff" hat. At the end of
August, I'll be leaving Wikimedia UK for a new role - still in London,
but doing something rather different, and with a fair bit more
responsibility. Those of you who are my friends will know what this new
job entails - I'd ask you to keep it to yourselves. To those of you who
don't, you're free to ask me on Facebook!
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Wikimedia UK under both Jon and
Lucy. It's really something to see how the charity has changed over the
years - from a small, absurdly hopeful organisation with limitless
opportunities, to a larger, but more stable and more focused charity
with a solid track record of events and partnerships, and with what I
firmly believe to now be (post-governance-review) the best governance in
the movement.
I have full confidence in the team of staff and volunteers here to keep
things moving forward, even if Richard Nevell does get overly focused on
castles from time to time. I'll be staying on as a volunteer, of course,
and I will probably focus my initial efforts on sending Richard Nevell
pictures of castles while he's working, which I'm pretty sure counts
towards our metrics.
On a more productive note, highlights of my time here include:
* Learning to cycle in London (pictures not on Commons, although there
might be a video)
* Our "Finance and Fundraising communal pickled onion jar", relabelled
"pickled fox" after went on the NHM Spirits Tour (pictures not on
Commons, except perhaps in the background)
* The "Wikimedia UK does WLM" tour of an unlit Grade II listed
Victorian Public Convenience (pictures on Commons)
* Driving Katherine Bavage to despair by uploading pictures of her to
Commons, and only then explaining what Commons is (I await the
inevitable deletion request from someone who takes this too seriously)
* Participating in the Chutney Making from Waste Fruit and Vegetables
World Record Attempt, a World record attempt for amount of people
making chutney simultaneously (pictures not taken, too busy eating
chutney)
* Wikimania 2014, which only those who served can
/truly/ understand (pictures on Commons, I imagine, although I tried
to avoid them)
I wish everyone at Wikimedia UK - volunteers and staff - all the best,
especially Daria, who now holds the crown for "longest serving staff
member". Working at Wikimedia UK has been an enlightening experience,
but also a privilege, and something which I will never forget.
{{Template:Witty sign-off}},
Richard Symonds
Wikimedia UK
0207 065 0992
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Katie Chan
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Experience is a good school but the fees are high.
- Heinrich Heine
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