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

Wikimedia UK is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, Registered No. 6741827. Registered Charity No.1144513. Registered Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT. United Kingdom. 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.