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Wikivorce was created by Ian Rispin, a man going through separation and divorce who couldn't accept that divorce needed to be quite so confusing, so damn difficult, deeply painful and horribly expensive.
When I entered the wonderful world of divorce I found it to be a confusing and scary place where people spoke a goobledegook language and advice was either hard to come by or very expensive. This was a great challenge at a time when my life was in turmoil. I saw a solicitor, so did my ex. The court process began and the letters started to fly back and forth. After just a few months my ex and I between us had spent close to 8,000 pounds, and I soon realised that the whole thing could take a year or more and we just couldn't afford to spend money at this rate at a time when our finances were so precarious.
I searched the web and found quite a few sites, but the information they provided seemed incomplete and I still didn't get it. I started asking questions on forums and found that some friendly and experienced people answered some of my questions. But I still only had a few bits and pieces of the puzzle, and with court dates coming up fast and experienced solicitors fighting my ex's corner I felt totally ill prepared. Surely I was not the first one to feel so adrift. There must be thousands of people thrown into this turmoil each year with no obvious source of affordable support.
That is when I decided I was going to make something good out of a bad situation. I was going to do something. I would create a website where you could find everything you needed to get you through this process. And so around 6 weeks later Wikivorce was born on the 21st March 2007.
Ian Rispin - founder, Wikivorce
Wikivorce is the UK's leading divorce support community. Since the launch of the website in March 2007 our community has grown to over 50,000 registered members,with around 75 new members joining each day.
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Everyone is welcome to join our community. Our members include:
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People suddenly faced by divorce who have many questions about how it works and how it will effect them and their family
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People who wish to use solicitors for the key legal steps but want to do some of the preparation work themselves to keep costs within a budget
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Litigants In Person who cannot afford or choose not to pay for solicitors and use Wikivorce to learn how to manage their own divorce from start to finish
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People who have been through divorce and are willing to pass on their knowledge and support to others
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And also...A number of solicitors and legal professionals who volunteer some of their time to answer member's questions
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Wikivorce is not a provider of legal services or legal advice. We are not legally trained. You should consult a legal professional before making any decisions. Please read our full legal disclaimer.
The Wikivorce website is owned and operated by Web Communities Limited.
| Web Communities - An Overview |
| What is Web Communities? |
| Web Communities is a social enterprise. Unlike typical commercial organisations, we measure our success by the positive social impact of our projects, rather than maximising profits for shareholders. |
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| What does the company do? |
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We create online communities to improve access to information, support and services for people whose needs are not fully met by existing support organisations.
Our pilot project, Wikivorce, is the fastest growing divorce support community in the world, with 40,000 members registering in a little over 2 years.
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| What is the ownership structure? |
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Web Communities is an independent, UK registered, limited liability company. Registered company number: 06460257
It is not part of any larger company or group. There are no law firms which hold any equity shares in Web Communities.
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| How is the company financed? |
| To date the company and website development have been 100% privately financed. We would welcome approaches from socially responsible investors to provide funding for our next phase of growth. |
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| When was it founded? |
| The company was incorporated in December 2007 |
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| Where is the company located? |
Registered company and mailing address:
145-157 St John Street
London
EC1V 4PY
United Kingdom |
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| Who manages the company? |
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 Wikivorce is an online social community, managed by a team of dedicated volunteers.
Ian Rispin, the founder and managing director of Web Communities, is a social entrepreneur who believes in the power of the internet in general, and of online support communities in particular, to deliver improved and more cost effective support services.
For the last 10 years Ian has been at the forefront of the eCommerce revolution in the travel industry. As a Senior Management Consultant at Accenture, he provided strategic business and technology advice to companies such as British Airways, Thomas Cook and American Express. Later, as a Director for Cendant TDS, he led the strategic acquisition and integration of their online hotel booking business in international markets.
In early 2007, whilst in the midst of a difficult divorce, it became apparent to Ian that there was a tremendous opportunity to improve the availability of information, advice and services to people facing divorce.
This led Ian to found his first 'web community', namely Wikivorce - an online community for people going through divorce or separation.
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