Message from the
Chief Executive at Wikimedia UK

This is the seventh time I’ve had the privilege of introducing Wikimedia UK’s Strategic Report, which describes our activities during the year and sets out our financial statements for 2021/22. I can reflect on the past year with a great deal of pride at what has been achieved through our work, despite a very challenging external context. I hope that you will enjoy reading this report.

I’m delighted to note that the staff team has grown during the year. Following the appointment of Natasha Iles as Head of Development and Communications in October 2020, and the recruitment of a Fundraising Development Coordinator in January 2021, in the summer of 2021 we appointed two people in a job-share to support the delivery of our new Connected Heritage project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 2021 also saw the launch of several new Wikimedians in Residence programmes, notably at the British Library and the National Institute of Health Research. These residents form part of our extended staff community, alongside long-standing Wikimedians at institutions such as the National Library of Wales and the University of Edinburgh.

Despite the myriad challenges presented by COVID-19, our Wikimedians in Residence programme continued to go from strength to strength, with 12 residencies supported by Wikimedia UK during 2021/22 in total. Many of these projects, in keeping with our strategic aims and objectives, involve the residents working with host institutions to actively explore how best to increase the engagement and representation of minoritised people and subjects. We were particularly pleased to be able to collaborate with the University of the Arts, London on the expansion of their Decolonising Wikipedia Network, working with a member of UAL staff who was seconded to Wikimedia UK for one day a week during the 2021/22 academic year. Indeed, this collaboration won the Wikimedia UK Partnership of the Year Award in 2021, with an Honourable Mention for the Scotland, Slavery and Black History project at the University of Edinburgh.

One of the incredible things about Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects is the potential reach of content released onto the platform. Over the last year articles created or improved through our programmes had accumulated 250 million views, with images released by our partners receiving 15 billion views in total. We also reach a global audience, with articles improved in 90 different language Wikipedias over the past year alone.

None of the achievements outlined in this report would be possible without the community leaders and other volunteers that play such an important role in our work. Thank you so much for your tireless commitment to open knowledge. In particular, special thanks to Marco Cafolla - winner of the 2021 UK Wikimedian of the Year - and Ian Watt, who received an Honourable Mention in this category; plus Abd Alsattar Ardati and Lucy Moore who jointly won the 2021 award for Up and Coming Wikimedian. I would also like to thank our organisational partners, for whom the past two years have been immensely challenging. Your ingenuity, courage and commitment have been extraordinary. And finally, thank you to the Wikimedia UK staff team, who are always a joy to work with and who continue to carry the flame for open knowledge into new communities, areas and institutions.