Privacy Policy

This policy describes how and why LightAware uses your personal information, how we protect your privacy when doing so, and your rights and choices regarding this information. We promise to respect all of your personal information which is under our control and to keep it safe.  We aim to be clear when we collect your information about what we will do with it.  

As a members’ charity we use personal information on a day to day basis in order to operate.  Our use of personal information allows us to understand the needs of our members, make better decisions, fundraise more efficiently and, ultimately, helps us to fulfil our goals; supporting light-sensitive people and raising awareness of light-sensitivity.

This policy was last updated on 27 September 2023.

Definition of Personal Data 

Personal data is defined as being data about a living individual which is used to identify the individual or data and other information which is in the possession of or is likely to come into the possession of the data controller (LightAware) and could be used to identify the individual. 

How we collect information about you

You will be asked to give us personal information when you become a member, sign up for our newsletter, make a donation, sign in to our website, purchase a product, or register as a volunteer or ambassador with us.

When you use our website, we collect your personal information using “cookies” and other tracking methods.  There are more details on the cookies and tracking methods we use in our Cookie Policy.

We may also receive information about the type of device you’re using to access our website and the settings on that device may provide us with information about your device, including what type of device it is, what specific device you have, what operating system you’re using and what your device settings are. 

The type of personal information we collect

• Contact information, such as your name, username, address, email address and phone numbers
• Any additional membership information you have given us 
• Payment information (bank or credit card details) if you become a member, donate to us or buy from our online shop
• Your Gift Aid details
• Photographs, video or audio recordings you have given us permission to use e.g. on our website, social networks, newsletter or members magazine
• Where you have left us a legacy, any information regarding next of kin with which you may have provided us to administer this
• Details of any correspondence or contact we have had with you for administrative purposes, or legal purposes in the case of a complaint
• Any other information you share with us

Certain types of personal information are in a special category under data protection laws, as they are considered to be more sensitive.  We will only need to ask you for your consent for this data under certain circumstances. 

For example:

• If wish to be a volunteer, trustee or apply for a job with us, we will record information necessary for us to process your application and assess your suitability e.g. employment history, disability, experience, age, nationality and ethnicity
• If we are conducting a survey and are asking specific, optional, questions about your health and personal circumstances. We will only do this with your consent and to help us understand the issues around light-sensitivity better and will use this information in an anonymised way

How we use your personal information

We will use your personal information to:

• Provide you with the services, products or information you have asked us for
• Administer your membership subscription, donation or support your fundraising, including processing Gift Aid
• Process membership applications and keep a record of our members 
• Administer our phone support group 
• Administer our members Facebook group
• Administer our website, manage the members area of the website and online shop
• Send you correspondence and communicate with you, using traditional channels and via social networking platforms
• Respond to any requests, complaints or queries you make to us
• To generate statistics and evaluate how we can improve our services, resources and information dissemination by conducting analysis and surveys. Statistics we generate may be published in reports and funding applications and other materials to highlight issues around light, lighting and health but will always be anonymised 
• Process your application for a job or volunteering position
• Audit and administer our accounts
• Meet any legal obligations between you and us, or our obligations to regulators, government and/or law enforcement bodies.
• Further our charitable objectives

LightAware will process personal data for the purpose for which consent is given. We aim not to collect information from you unless it is absolutely necessary and will do our best to keep such data up to date and accurate. 

How and when you will hear from us

When you sign up as a member, make a donation, or join our mailing list we will normally ask you how you would like to be contacted and keep a record of your preferences. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking on my account or contacting us at members@lightaware.org.

We usually contact our members by email or by post twice a year when we send out our members’ magazine. If you have signed up for our supporters newsletter you will receive these by email four times a year, or by post if you have requested a paper copy. If you have chosen to receive fundraising events and appeals or merchandise  mailings from us we may send you these from time to time by email or by post if requested, usually twice a year.  All our mailings include information on how to opt out and change your preferences.

If you contact us by post or by email we will usually respond within 5 working days. 

Legal basis for processing

We ask you for and hold your personal information for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. By law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. 

Specific consent

We ask you for specific consent when you complete any of our webforms (including our online shop), become a member or join our mailing list e.g. how you would like us to keep in touch with you and what types of information you would like to be sent. Where we use your information for specific consent we will only use it for the purpose consent was given. You have the right to withdraw consent for any future use of your information for this purpose at any time. 

Legal obligation

We have a legal obligation to use your personal information where we need to do so to comply with one of our legal or regulatory obligations.  For example, in some cases we may need to share your information with our various regulators such as the Charity Commission, Fundraising Regulator or Information Commissioner.

Vital interests

We have a basis to use your personal information where it is necessary for us to protect life or health.

Legitimate interests

We have legitimate interest to use your personal information in order to send you information or goods that you have asked for and to contact you if you have given consent.

How we keep your information safe

Any paper documents we are required to keep which include personal details are filed carefully in a locked cabinet. Because our team works remotely we also store files electronically on a secure server that we can all access.  

When it is stored electronically, it will be kept in password protected files. When it is stored online in a third-party website (e.g. Google Drive) we will ensure the third party comply with the GDPR and that a Data Protection Agreement is in place. 

How long we keep your information for

The length of time we keep your personal data for will depend on the data and why we need it.  

Membership and donations

If you are a member we will keep your membership details as long as you are a member. If your membership lapses or you ask for your membership to be cancelled or your details removed for any reason we will only keep the details we are required to for legal and legitimate reasons and we will anonymise your personal data wherever possible. 

Financial information

We will keep a record of payments, transactions and gift aid payments for a period of seven years as required by law or for as long as you continue to support us.  These details will also be held by our online payment provider, and HMRC if you have opted to support us with gift aid.  We will ensure that all data is held within the EU and that we have a Data Protection Agreement in place.

Personal circumstances you may have shared with us

We will not keep information relating to your personal situation for any longer than is necessary for the purpose of providing you with the support you have requested.

Personal data relating to your lighting issues will be stored securely by a Trustee or our administrator, and not shared among the rest of our team or with other volunteers unless necessary for the purpose of providing the support requested.

Details relating to your personal circumstances will be treated as confidential.

You have the right to ask us to remove your personal data from our records at any time and we will endeavour to meet your request within one calendar month.

Sharing your information with third-parties

LightAware will not share or sell personal information to third-party organisations for marketing or campaigning purposes.

Your information may be shared with us by third parties and we may engage with third party organisations in the day to day running of our work, for example:

• A friend, family member or health care professional acting on your behalf
• Websites you have signed up to in order to raise money on our behalf or make a donation e.g. Just Giving, Give As You Live, Paypal donations
• Sub contractors for communication and delivery purposes e.g. Royal Mail if we need to write to you or deliver an item you have purchased from our online shop and Mailchimp if you sign up for our newsletter.
• Social media sites you engage with us on e.g. Facebook and Twitter 
• Third party organisations who carry our surveys on our behalf e.g. Survey Monkey
• Our online banking provider if you make a purchase, become a member or donate to us
• Where it is necessary to protect your vital interests
• Where we are required to for legal reasons

Keeping your information up to date

It is our responsibility to keep your information as up to date as possible and for this we need your help. We would appreciate you letting us know if any of the information we have e.g. postal address, phone number, email address is incorrect. 

Please review your preferences regularly to ensure you do not receive communication or mailings you don’t wish to receive.

To update your personal information at any time write to LightAware, C/o Andertax, 21 West Port, Linlithgow EH49 7AY or email info@lightaware.org stating clearly what needs to be amended.  

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights over personal information that we hold about you. 

You have the right:

• To access your personal information
• To have your inaccurate personal information corrected
• To restrict use of your personal information
• To ask us to erase your personal information 
• Right to ask us to transfer your personal information digitally to yourself or someone else 
• Right to object to the use of your personal information
• Right to withdraw consent

If you would like to exercise any of the above rights, write to LightAware, C/o Andertax, 21 West Port, Linlithgow EH49 7AY or email info@lightaware.org.

We may be required to ask for further information and/or evidence of identity. We will endeavour to respond fully to all requests within one month of receipt of your request, however if we are unable to do so we will contact you with reasons for the delay.

Please note that legal exceptions apply to a number of these rights, and not all rights will be applicable in all circumstances. 

Complaints

If you are unhappy with any aspect of how we are using your personal information we’d like to hear about it. We appreciate the opportunity this feedback gives us to learn and improve. 

You also have the right to lodge a complaint about any use of your information with the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO, the UK data protection regulator.

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this policy

We reserve the right to amend this privacy notice so please do check back from time to time. If we do so, we will post notice of the change on our website.

Contact us

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding this policy write to 

LightAware,
C/o Andertax, 
21 West Port, 
Linlithgow 
EH49 7AY 

or email info@lightaware.org