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WIKIPEDIA COMES TO THE UK The UK Branch of Wikipedia, Wikimedia UK, Starts Work

Wikimedia UK is the new official UK chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation, the organisation behind the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. Wikimedia UK is an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to spreading free knowledge to and from the UK. It was founded in November 2008 and officially recognised by the Foundation in January this year. Since then it has run an event with the Victoria and Albert museum to photograph its exhibits for inclusion in Wikipedia articles and has started discussions with the BBC to work with them to produce additional content.

Wikimedia UK has just received a £5000 grant from the Wikimedia Foundation to allow it to get started on larger scale initiatives including a plan to visit schools to teach pupils and teachers how to make the most out of Wikipedia and its sister projects. The grant will also allow the chapter to further its contacts with museums so as to get further content released for inclusion in Wikipedia.

On 9th August, Wikimedia UK launched its first fundraising campaign in order to seek funds from the general public to broaden its initiatives. Wikimedia UK would like to extend its educational program to academics, experts on various subjects and the general public by running Wikipedia Academies, short courses on how to use and contribute to Wikipedia and its sister projects that have been run to great success by Wikimedia UK's fellow chapters in Germany, Argentina, Sweden and Israel. Wikimedia UK is currently accepting donations of any size on its website, www.wikimedia.org.uk/donate.

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