Wikimedia UK, in conjunction with the Wikimedia Foundation, recently started its first fundraiser. So far we have raised over £9,000 and hope to raise several times that much before the fundraiser ends in January. That money will enable us to run various initiatives to improve Wikipedia and its sister projects and increase access to them. One of the initiatives we have planned is to go into British schools to teach pupils and teachers how to make the most of Wikipedia and to encourage them to contribute to the project. Wikipedia needs constant work to keep it up-to-date and growing and introducing a new generation to the project will enable it to keep going for years to come.
Another initiative the money we are now raising will enable us to run is “Britain Loves Wikipedia“. We will be working with museums all over the country to help and encourage volunteers to photograph exhibits and make those photographs available for use via Wikimedia Commons in Wikipedia articles and elsewhere. We will also be co-hosting a conference with the Open Knowledge Foundation where people interested in making knowledge available to everyone will come from all over the country and the world to discuss and spread the word about free and open knowledge projects like Wikipedia.
If you would like to support these initiatives and help us make Wikipedia as great as we know it can be, please donate by going to http://donate.wikimedia.org.uk. Thank you!