User:NatalieRemark/sandbox

History of Remark!

[https://remark.uk.com/ Remark! Ltd] was founded in 1999 by Mark Nelson & Ramon Wolfe. Their offices were located in East London, and were predominately a Deaf Media company. In 2000, they produced our first social services video, which was the first of many. In 2001 Remark! moved to a new office in Greenwich with seven employees and Mark’s father.

A year later, [https://remark.uk.com/learn-bsl/ Remark! Training] was formed, with just three students. [https://remark.uk.com/learn-bsl/ Remark! Training] went from strength to strength, and today the training department offers British Sign Language (BSL) courses from Level 1 (beginner) to Level 6 (advanced). They also offer courses in sign language interpreting, which allows students to register with the NRCPD as a Registered Sign Language Interpreter (RSLI).

The next year in 2003, [https://remark.uk.com/access/ Remark! Access] was formed, becoming one of the main providers of television access. [https://remark.uk.com/access/ Remark! Access] specialises in making content accessible for Deaf, hard of hearing and visually impaired audiences across all platforms. They do this via the realms of Subtitling, Audio Description, British Sign Language (BSL) Translation, Audio Reading and Audio Transcription. They went on to work with the LOCOG to provide full accessibility for the 2012 Olympics, and previously for Disney Channel and S4C. In 2005, Remark! hosted the Remark! Film and TV Awards, a sell out event with over 1,000 attendees which was aired on BBC TV. Five years later in 2010, [https://remark.uk.com/interpreting/ Remark! Interpreting] was set up. They provide BSL/English Sign Language interpreters throughout the UK and internationally with an expanding team of both in-house and freelance interpreters. Being Deaf-led, they know exactly what support their clients need because they are experts in their field, and care about providing an efficient and professional service. They completed nearly 11,000 bookings across the UK in 2019.

Jonny Nelson, approached Remark! in 2010 about a potential partnership and setting up a charity to support the Deaf Community around London. [https://www.remarkcommunity.org/ Remark! Community] strives for a world where Deaf people have accessibility in all that they do. With their help, Deaf people of all ages can use services and attend social activities using their preferred language, BSL. Without Remark! Community, the barriers would still be there.

In 2011 they made the move to Central London, to their Leather Lane office. Two years later, Remark! set up [https://remark.uk.com/support/ Remark! Living]. They support Deaf people, including those with a wide range of additional needs or disabilities, to live independently and avoid isolation. Their support workers are Deaf BSL users themselves and therefore serve as role models for the clients they support, making our service unique.

In 2015, Jonny Nelson, Mark’s brother became Managing Director. Remark! were delighted to be Highly Commended in the Small Business of the Year category at the Camden Business Awards 2017. “It was a huge honour for the business to be recognised alongside so many other inspirational businesses,” said Managing Director Jonny Nelson. Remark! were also nominated as Best UK Deaf Business for the Deaf Business Academy Awards 2018.

Last year on their 21st anniversary, Jonny Nelson, Managing Director said: “Wow, the last 21 years has flown by! There have been many fantastic achievements and Remark! have coordinated many different projects. Thank you to all the members of staff that have worked so hard, and to all our clients who have worked with us over the last 21 years. We really appreciate the Deaf community for all their support. We’re looking forward to the next 21 years, or the next 100 years!”