Last Friday we had the pleasure of joining Wikimedia UK in London to celebrate two remarkable milestones: 25 years of Wikipedia and 15 years of Wikimedia UK as a registered charity.
It was a brilliant evening and a chance to meet up with and learn from some absolutely fascinating people, including Belvin Tawuya, Greta Beccarello, Kelly Foster, Josie Fraser, Andrew Russell, Herbert Wright, Lucy Yu FEI, Lucy Crompton-Reid FRSA, Alex Ashby and of course Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.
Jimmy Wales spoke about a community of people “motivated by knowledge… by being a bunch of geeks whose hobby is writing an encyclopaedia.” It was a reminder that one of the world’s most visited websites isn’t powered by algorithms or commercial incentives, but by many thousands of passionate people who deeply care about making knowledge freely available to everyone.
He also reflected on our shared responsibility to ensure we don’t “descend into some sort of dark age of misinformation and disinformation”. That commitment to quality, thoughtful collaboration and freely accessible knowledge felt especially relevant in an age increasingly shaped by AI.
It reinforced why we’re so excited to be partnering with Wikimedia UK after recently being appointed to design and develop its new website.
As designers, developers and strategists at Hotfoot, we spend a lot of time thinking about how digital experiences help people find, understand and trust information. Working with an organisation whose mission is to make reliable knowledge accessible to everyone is a genuine privilege.
Congratulations to everyone at Wikimedia UK on reaching these milestones, and thank you for such a memorable evening. Here’s to the next chapter.
